China is projected to recruit 12 to 14 new reserve astronauts, and the selection, which started in September, is open, for the first time, to payload experts from Hong Kong and Macao, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Monday.

It will be the fourth batch of the country's reserve astronauts. The preliminary selection is currently in progress. The reexamination and confirmation processes will be followed.

Researchers and teachers from sci-tech institutions, universities, and colleges in Hong Kong and Macao in the field of biomedical engineering, machinery, electronics, material, chemistry, and astronomy enthusiastically applied for the selection, said Ji Qiming, assistant to the CMSA director, at a press conference on Monday.

The selection work in the two regions is running smoothly, as the basic qualifications screening has been completed and the clinical examination is underway, according to the CMSA.