[seanmcdirmid]

Aren't Chinese space travelers called Taikonauts? The title make it sounds like Americans are invading China's space station.

[Nokinside]

Taikonaut is the word sometimes used for Chinese astronauts in English language journals and Taiwan and Hong Kong. It's mix of Mandarin and Greek (naut = sailor in Greek). Chinese call their astronauts hang tian yuan.Indian astronauts will be vyomanauts.

Astronaut is still valid name for crew member of a spacecraft in any nation.

[xeroaura]

Is taiko short for tai kong (太空) = space in Mandarin in this case?

[kfihihc]

Yes.

[leojg]

I think so... anyways I find stupid the need to differentiate the "space worker(?)" by country of origin. They all do the same awesome thing.

[seanmcdirmid]

The Russians invented the job, yet us Americans decided to go with Astronaut rather than Cosmonaut.

[rakoo]

And we French people wanted to go with our American friends but didn't want to anger the Russian giant... so we went with our own "spationaute"

[T-zex]

"Chinese space workers enter space camp"

[JTon]

After a quick google, I believe you are correct. The term doesn't seem to be very well known outside of space circles, though. Maybe that's why the BBC opted for the familiar.