China says will train foreign astronauts for space station

BEIJING (AP) — China says it will soon begin training foreign astronauts for trips to its newly completed orbiting space station. In an interview with state broadcaster CCTV, program official Chen Shanguang said multiple countries have asked for rides to the Tiangong station. China completed the Tiangong station in November with the addition of the third of three modules, centered on the Tianhe living and command module. China built its own station after it was excluded from the International Space Station, largely due to U.S. objections over the Chinese space programs’ intimate ties to the People’s Liberation Army, the military wing of the ruling Communist Party.