China plans to launch its Tiangong-2 space laboratory and the Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft and Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft to dock with the Tiangong-2 in 2016, said Yang Liwei, Chinese chairman of the Planetary Congress of the Association of Space Explorers, which opened in Beijing on Wednesday.

The country plans to complete the construction of the Chinese space station around 2022, he was quoted by China Central Television as saying.

The first group of Chinese astronauts will retire in the near future and the country will select new astronauts, including females, the report said.

China may launch cargo ship to space around 2016	Earlier launch possible for space station modules