China has announced that scientists from six countries, including the United States, will be allowed to study rare lunar rocks collected during its Chang'e-5 mission in 2020. This move marks a significant scientific collaboration despite ongoing trade tensions between the two nations. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) revealed that two NASA-funded American institutions—Brown University and the State University of New York at Stony Brook—have received approval to analyze these samples. CNSA head Shan Zhongde described the lunar materials as "a shared treasure for all humanity," emphasizing the spirit of international cooperation in space research.

The Chang'e-5 mission made China the third country to successfully retrieve lunar samples, following the United States and the Soviet Union, which last collected moon rocks in 1972. The samples returned by Chang'e-5 weigh approximately 1.73 kilograms and are notable for being about a billion years younger than those collected during the Apollo missions, suggesting more recent volcanic activity on the Moon. China’s subsequent Chang'e-6 mission further advanced lunar exploration by bringing back samples from the Moon's far side, a first in lunar history. This international sharing of samples is part of China's broader strategy to increase its global influence in space exploration.

Despite the scientific cooperation, U.S.-China space collaboration faces legal and political challenges. A 2011 U.S. law restricts NASA from working with China or Chinese-owned entities without explicit Congressional approval, primarily due to concerns about technology transfer to China’s military. Consequently, the two American institutions required special permissions from Congress to receive the lunar samples. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson confirmed ongoing discussions with CNSA to finalize the terms of the loan agreement, assuring U.S. lawmakers that national security would not be compromised. The process involves coordination with the FBI to certify compliance with security regulations.

China’s decision to share lunar samples with the U.S. and other countries including Japan, Germany, the UK, France, and Pakistan, reflects its commitment to international space cooperation. CNSA has received applications from 11 countries to borrow lunar materials and aims to foster equality and mutual benefit in these partnerships. Chinese space officials highlight that while the U.S. has become more insular, China is opening up its space program to global collaboration, including international payloads on upcoming missions like Chang'e-7 and Chang'e-8. This approach is part of Beijing’s effort to build stronger political and scientific ties worldwide through its space endeavors.