On May 24 2007, the first meeting between China and the Space Cooperation Steering Committee of European Space Agency (ESA) was held in headquarter of ESA, which is located in Paris, and it was presided over by Mr. Sun Laiyan, Deputy Minister of COSTIND, Administrator of China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the Chinese chairman of the Committee, jointly with Mr. Total, the European chairman of the Committee.

Both sides signed China -EU Space Cooperation Actuality and Cooperative Plan Protocol, which stipulates distinctly the fields and direction of cooperation between both sides, and established four work groups, i.e. Science and Exploration Work Group, Microgravity Work Group, Education Work Group, and Earth Observation Work Group. Additionally, both sides reached an agreement upon the protocol on surface supporting for Chang’e-1 Satellite, and agreed to accelerate wider and further space cooperation between the European and China through complementing one another with the advantages each possesses.