2019 China Space Day Main Session Opens in Changsha

　　On April 24, the 2019 China’s Space Day main session kicks off in Changsha, Hunan.

　　Du Jiahao, secretary of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee, presents Letter of Appointment to Yang Liwei, who is appointed as “China’s Aerospace Public Welfare Image Ambassador”.

　　Xu Dazhe, deputy secretary of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee and Hunan governor, makes a speech.

　　Zhang Kejian, deputy director of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and director of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), delivers a speech.

　　After the opening ceremony, Du Jiahao, secretary of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee; Xu Dazhe, deputy secretary of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee and Hunan governor; and participants visit the China Aerospace Achievement Exhibition.

　　On April 24, the 2019 China Space Day main session kicked off in Changsha, Hunan. Du Jiahao, secretary of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee, attended the opening ceremony and presented letters of appointment to aerospace public welfare image ambassadors. Xu Dazhe, deputy secretary of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee and Hunan governor, addressed the opening ceremony.

　　The theme of 2019 China’s Space Day is "pursue space dream for win-win cooperation". The main activities held in Changsha included the 2019 China Space Conference, Hunan Aerospace Industry Development Symposium, and China Aerospace Achievement Exhibition Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China.

　　There were more than 1,600 attendees, including more than 20 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, officials of central authorities and related state-owned enterprises, representatives of private space units, foreign guests from more than 10 international organizations and over 50 countries’ space agencies.

　　Zhang Kejian, deputy director of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and director of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), delivered a speech. The opening ceremony was also attended by Hunan provincial leaders Hu Henghua, Xie Jianhui, and Wu Guiying; Yang Liwei, major general of the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission; and Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng and Liu Boming. France participated in the event as a guest country. Lionel Suchet, chief operating officer of French space agency--National Centre for Space Studies (NCES), made a speech.

　　Xu Dazhe said that Hunan has always been supporting the development of the space industry and put developing the space industry as an important part of building Hunan into an innovative province and a manufacturing powerhouse. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, it is of great significance to holding the "Space Day of China" main events in the hometown of the great men. This will help create an innovative atmosphere for development in Hunan.

　　Xu added that Hunan will continue to carry forward space spirit and vigorously implement the innovation-driven opening up strategy. It will give full play to its advantages in geographical location, talent, innovation, and industries, and accelerate the construction of Yuelu Mountain National University Science and Technology Town and Malanshan Video Cultural Creative Industrial Park.

　　He continued that Hunan will actively undertake major national projects, participate in domestic and foreign aerospace cooperation, and China's ten major action plans for China space industry empowering the UN with the realization of the sustainable target. The province will strengthen and expand the space industry, to contribute to China’s space dream.　

　　Zhang Kejian said that since its establishment, China’s Space Day has played an important role in spreading space spirit, fostering an innovative culture and building a platform for cooperation. He promised that CNSA will adhere to the principle of "pursuing space dream for win-win cooperation", and work together with people from all walks of life and the international community who care for China's space industry development, to explore the universe, improve people’s well-being, and contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

　　At the opening ceremony, CNSA issued the "Declaration on China's Space Industry Empowering the UN with Sustainable Development Goals for 2030". The China Space Foundation presented important space project awards and outstanding contribution awards. Yang Liwei, Jiang Jie and Wang Han were hired as space public welfare image ambassadors.

　　After the opening ceremony, Du Jiahao, Xu Dazhe, and participants visited the China Aerospace Achievement Exhibition.

　　At the Hunan Aerospace Industry Development Symposium held on the afternoon, academicians, experts and enterprise leaders gave wonderful speeches based on their own professional fields and made suggestions on how to promote economic and social development through aerospace. Twenty-three units signed 12 project cooperation agreements worth nearly 20 billion CNY.

　　Xu Dazhe said that in recent years, Hunan's economy has been growing steadily, with significantly improved innovative abilities and increased R &D investment. The number of industrial and service enterprises above the designated size, qualified construction enterprises and real estate enterprises, retail sales and catering enterprises above designated size have increased rapidly. Hunan’s ecological environment has greatly improved.

　　Xu continued that Hunan has incorporated the aerospace industry into an important part of the construction of a manufacturing powerhouse, in a bid to promote the building of an innovative province, industrial transformation and upgrades, and industrial opening-up and cooperation.

　　He hoped that the attendees will continue to care for Hunan's development, support Hunan in undertaking more major national special projects and tackling key tasks, and introduce more talents, capital and technologies to Hunan, so as to facilitate its economic and social development, and bring rich rewards with new and high technology to the hometown of Chairman Mao Zedong.