China now has the technology to train foreign astronauts, according to a senior official with the China Space Center.

Wu Chuansheng said the China Space Center has added the goal of training foreign astronauts to its development agenda.

The center now has the technology to train foreign astronauts, but more training facilities are yet to be built and established, Wu added.

According to Wu, after decades-long endeavors, China has created a unique space medical engineering and built an astronauts training system with Chinese characteristics.

Upon seven to eight years of training, the first batch of 14 taikonauts, or Chinese term for astronauts, have qualified, he said.

Yang Liwei, China's first man in space, and Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, who are orbiting the Earth aboard the spacecraft Shenzhou-6, were all selected from the 14 taikonauts.

The successful space flight of the Shenzhou VI has further demonstrated that China has become the third nation capable of independently training taikonauts, or astronauts, in the world, Wu added.

"The China Space Center is an open organization, which is able to train Chinese taikonauts and foreign astronauts as well," Wu pointed out.

(Xinhua News Agency October 15, 2005)