China hopes to cooperate with Europe on building a manned Moon Base in the next few decades.

Chinese state-controlled media reports a meeting between representatives of the European Space Agency (ESA) and China National Space Administration (CNSA), which administers China's military controlled and funded space programs, as regards the building of a joint Moon Base in the coming decade.

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CNSA secretary general Tian Yulong said talks are ongoing while ESA spokesperson Pal Hvistendahl confirmed the talks had indeed taken place.

"The Chinese have a very ambitious moon program already in place," said Hvistendahl. "We recognise that to explore space for peaceful purposes, we do international cooperation."

He noted that space has changed since the space race of the 1960s pitting the United States against the defunct Soviet Union. The Space Race ended in an American victory when the first men to land on the Moon were Americans.

China is a "Johnny-come-lately" to space exploration having conducted its first manned spaceflight only in 2003, or 56 years after the Soviet cosmonaut Uri Gagarin became both the first human in space and the first to orbit the Earth on April 12, 1961.

On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space.

ESA director general Johann-Dietrich Wörner last January confirmed it plans to build a "Moon Village."

"For me, the Moon village is already more or less a fact," said Wörner.

"Okay, there is nothing on the Moon visible (yet), but there will be something visible very soon, because several of these entities are planning to go to the Moon rather soon.

He said ESA's plan isn't like the International Space Station (OSS) which is more or less restricted to the club. China is excluded by American law from participating in ISS missions.

"The Moon village idea is an open idea; free and open access," according to Wörner.

Woerner said a permanent lunar base is the next logical step in space exploration. ESA's Moon Village could replace the ISS in the future. ISS is scheduled to shut down in 2024 unless more funding is forthcoming.

ESA said it could take 20 years before technologies exist that allow Moon Village to be built.