China strengthens international space cooperation

BEIJING - China will continue to strengthen international cooperation in peaceful exploration and utilization of outer space, said Li Guoping, a spokesman of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), Thursday.

So far, China has signed 121 cooperation agreements with 37 countries and four international organizations, Li said at a press conference about the Space Day of China, which will come on April 24, marking the day the country's first satellite was sent into space in 1970.

He raised the example of the 30-year-long cooperation between China and Brazil in the development of earth resources satellites. Currently, the two countries are jointly developing a fourth satellite, which is progressing well.

China and France are also in close collaboration. An ocean-observing satellite jointly developed by the two countries will be sent into orbit this year, which will be used to study global climate change. The two countries are also cooperating in developing an astronomical satellite.

In February, a seismic-electromagnetic satellite, jointly developed by China and Italy, was launched to study seismic precursors, which might help establish a ground-space earthquake monitoring and forecasting network in the future.

"In addition, China has sold 11 commercial satellites, including communication and remote sensing satellites, to other countries. China launched Algeria's first communication satellite in December last year," Li said.

"China has offered assistance and services to other developing countries. We provided our satellite data to countries such as Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Peru to help them monitor floods and forest fires.

"China will push forward the construction of the BRICS remote-sensing satellite constellation and the Belt and Road Initiative Space Information Corridor.

"China will collaborate with the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO) to adjust the distribution of the meteorological satellites in orbit to better service the members of APSCO.

"China will build a remote-sensing information application platform with Thailand, Laos, Burma and Cambodia.

"China also intends to have a wider international cooperation in the fields of lunar probe, deep space exploration and space science. China recently had talks with Russia and the European Space Agency on further cooperation in deep space exploration."