Hong Kong has selected 40 candidates for the fourth batch of Chinese astronauts to the Tiangong space station, said Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Sunday.

Sun said that 120 people had signed up for consideration in Hong Kong, among whom 40 outperformed the rest in physical fitness, education, professionalism, and enthusiasm for the aerospace career.

Going forward, the HKSAR government will coordinate with the Chinese mainland in second-stage selection, Sun added.

China started recruiting the country's fourth generation of astronauts in September 2022. The search was open to people in Hong Kong and Macao for the first time, the China Manned Space Agency said.

Experts will pick 12 to 14 candidates for the new generation. Among them, seven to eight will be spacecraft pilots, three to four will be engineers, and two will be payload specialists, according to the agency.