On November 25, Ambassador Liu Xiaoming met with Chinese Chang’e-4 mission team led by Academician Wu Weiren, Chief Designer of China’s Lunar Programme.

Ambassador Liu first extended his warm congratulations to Chang’e-4 mission team for winning the only Team Gold Medal of the year awarded by the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) of the United Kingdom. Chang’e-4 made successful landing on the far side of the moon at the beginning of this year, marking the first-ever soft landing of man-made probe on the moon. Chang’e-4 has since worked continuously on lunar surface, which further shows the capability of China’s space technologies. For 70 years, through self-reliance and hard work, generations of Chinese scientists have adhered to independent innovation and open innovation to actively promote international cooperation, making China’s scientific and technological achievements in aerospace benefit more countries and regions. China and the UK have sound cooperation in aerospace. The awarding of Team Gold Medal of the year by RAeS to Chang’e-4 team provided new opportunities for more cooperation between the two countries. The Ambassador expressed the hope that the scientists of the two countries would deepen cooperation in research and popular science, making contribution to the progress of space tech and benefiting the peoples of the two countries and beyond.

Chief Designer Wu Weiren expressed appreciation to Ambassador Liu and the Chinese Embassy for the strong support in promoting China-UK cooperation in aerospace. He briefed the Ambassador on China’s progress in aerospace in recent years and the future plan, hoping to carry out extensive cooperation with the UK and countries around the world in lunar exploration, Mars exploration, space weather forecast and asteroid exploration.

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The Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) of the United Kingdom, founded in 1866, is the oldest professional aeronautical society in the world. Every year, RAeS bestowed honors, medals and specialist awards to individuals and teams worldwide for their contributions in the field of aerospace studies and exploration.