Cooperation to bolster Beidou in Arab world

China and Arab states will deepen their cooperation to better promote the use of China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System in the Arab world, according to an official from the Arab Information and Communication Technologies Organization.

Sami Trimech, director of strategic planning and development at Tunisia-headquartered AICTO, said on Wednesday in Zhuzhou, Hunan province, that there is huge potential for the Beidou system in a variety of sectors in the Arab world, including traffic navigation, transportation, land mapping and survey, agriculture and rail construction.

He said the intergovernmental organization, which works under the aegis of the League of Arab States, has been proposing to work with its Chinese partners to advance the applications of Beidou-enabled services in Arab nations.

"AICTO would like to take this opportunity to propose the launch of pilot projects in order to introduce and popularize the use of Beidou applications in the agriculture sector to achieve the sustainable development goals," the official said. "We will continue to promote academic exchanges between Chinese and Arab experts and scholars in the field of satellite navigation, and also promote training and exchanges of technicians and talented professionals by providing academic degree education, short-term training and on-site technical guidance."

In addition, Trimech said a professional website is being planned to publish all information about the cooperation between AICTO and related Chinese entities, provide updated information about Beidou for Arab users, share project results and connect Chinese and Arab enterprises.

He made the remarks on the sidelines of the 4th International Summit on Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) Applications, which opened in Zhuzhou on Wednesday.

Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang addressed attendees at the summit's opening ceremony, stressing that China is ready to work with all parties to advance Beidou's global service.

He called for enhancing international collaboration on Beidou-enabled service, setting up more joint application centers, improving compatibility and interoperability among different satellite navigation networks, and enhancing global governance in this sector.

Jointly hosted by the National Development and Reform Commission, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Transport and the Hunan provincial government, the two-day summit features a large number of attendees at home and abroad. Attendees include representatives from 24 foreign countries such as Madagascar, Pakistan, Brazil and Laos; five international organizations, including the United Nations Human Settlements Programme; and 32 central government departments in China, organizers said.