11 Sep 2022

As the world advances toward digitisation, Batswana learners have been encouraged to look for opportunities that explore the mysteries of space to discover new worlds and build advanced technologies.

Speaking at the event dubbed: Talk with Taikonauts in Gaborone recently, Chinese Ambassador Mr Wang Xuefeng said space exploration was a common aspiration of all human beings since ancient times.

He said there had been lots of interesting stories about space, therefore Batswana learners should aspire to be part of research that explores such mysteries. 

The Talk with Taikonauts provided Batswana pupils, alongside other youths from eight African countries, an opportunity to interact with three Chinese astronauts from space via a video link who shared their experience in the Shenzhou-14 mission. 

Mr Wang said the event was not only a cultural exchange activity but was also based on science and technology which played a major role in the discoveries of the world. 

Meanwhile, Mr Wang said China had  never left her African counterparts behind in the endeavour to explore and utilise outer space. 

He said in recent years, space cooperation had become a key area and an important highlight in China-Africa practical cooperation. 

“From satellite import and export to construction of space infrastructure, to satellite resources sharing to joint research and development, fruitful results have been achieved in China-Africa space cooperation” he said.

He said in helping Africa promote aerospace capacity building, China attached great importance to its young generation. 

Mr Wang explained that in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Dakar Action Plan passed at the 8th FOCAC ministerial conference last November, China and Africa agreed to set up a youth space alliance as a platform for space exchanges between Chinese and African middle school learners. 

He further said China and Africa had also agreed to explore new ways of science popularisation in space cooperation, with Talk with Taikonauts being the latest initiative.

Mr Wang said China and Botswana had space related cooperation programmes, noting that in November 2020, China signed MoU with Botswana for the provision of equipment under South-South Cooperation for Addressing Climate Change. He also noted that a multi-satellite meteorological satellite data mobile receiving and processing system would be handed over to Botswana for climate change response in the near future. 

The taikonauts Mr Chen Dong, Ms Liu Yang and Mr Cai Xuzhe, who are on a six-month stay in orbit shared with the African youth their life and scientific work in the space station. 

The trio answered questions ranging from their life in orbit to scientific experiments conducted aboard the space station, from learners in Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia and South Africa. 

For his part the Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Mr Simon Coles also encouraged pupils to embrace the initiative. 

Mr Coles said he was thankful that the space talk was shared with Botswana learners saying that helped them to realise that they were part of the global industry. 

“It is, therefore, up to you to dream big. One of you has to be the first Motswana to go to space,” he told pupils.

He thanked the Chinese government for the support in the country’s education sector. ends