pakistan 
Pakistan –
The Pakistani flag carried to the Chinese space station on the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft has been handed over to the Embassy of Pakistan.
The unique “hatch-opening ceremony” was held at the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).
The national flags of China and Pakistan were sent by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) to space to commemorate the 70th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties between the two nations.
Read Also | Pakistan for preferential trade deals with UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman
The ceremony was attended by Pakistan’s ambassador to China Moin-ul-Haque, secretary of the China Academy of Space Technology, director-general of the China Manned Space Agency Zhao Xiaojin, chief designer of the China Manned Space Programme Yang Liwei, and various other leading scientists and experts.
On June 17, 2021, the flags were sent via the Long March-2F carrier rocket.
They returned via China’s human-crewed spacecraft – Shenzhou-12 – after staying in space for three months.
Haque, speaking on occasion, congratulated CAST, CMSA, and the related Chinese research institutions for the crewed space mission that returned successfully.
“The journey of national flags of Pakistan and China was a special demonstration of the unique friendship between the two neighbors and an amazing way to celebrate the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic ties,” he said.
Both sides are engaged in technology transfer and regular exchange of experts and delegations for strengthening their cooperation in exploration and discovery, the envoy added.
Furthermore, he expressed confidence that Pakistan and China would build on their cooperation in space exploration in the future for mutual benefit and experience sharing.
