China Committed itself on Friday to cooperation with Asia-Pacific countries in space applications for sustainable development in the region.

Addressing the 2nd Ministerial Conference on Space Applications for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific, Hui Yongzheng, China's vice-minister of science and technology, said no country on earth can single-handedly meet the challenges of the space age.

The exploration of resources of outer space calls for global efforts and should be conducted for the benefit of the people all over the world, Hui told the meeting which opened here on Thursday.

In their pursuit for sustained economic development, the Chinese official said, Asia-Pacific countries, like other countries all over the world, face the common challenges such as environmental protection and resources management, security and welfare, education and training.

It is China's consistent policy to actively promote space science, technology and applications internationally, Hui said, adding that China had made remarkable achievements in space science, technology and applications.

With its rockets becoming more and more matured and sophisticated, China is capable of launching low-orbit satellites, sun-synchronous satellites and geo-stationary satellites and can satisfy the launching needs both at home and abroad.

China has by now independently developed and launched more than 40 satellites of various types with extensive applications in economic, scientific and technological and cultural fields, bringing about satisfactory social and economic benefits.

Hui informed the delegates from 28 Asia-Pacific countries that remote sensing applications had been extended to more than 400 institutions and departments across China.

Satellite meteorology has become the most essential means in weather forecasting and disaster assessment and long-distance education network which consists of 16,000 satellite ground stations and three television educational programs, he added.

As a member of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Hui said, China commits itself to the following:

-- Continue formulating the corresponding programs and projects at the national level with inputs of necessary resources, enhance coordination between the ministries and departments concerned and implement specific follow-up measures;

-- Actively participate in the arrangements and activities at the regional level;

-- Continue to implement space science and technology human resource training programs for other developing countries in the region;

-- Provide, free of charge, all countries in the region with data of meteorological satellite FY-1C;

-- Distribute high-quality Chinese GIS software at a preferential price and help developing countries of the region to develop various kinds of GIS projects;

-- Participate in the implementation of the Asia-cover project in cooperation with the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO);

-- Actively participate in discussions and consultations with other countries on issues such as standardization of remote sensing data, data sharing and development of small satellites in the region.

The three-day ministerial meeting was opened on Thursday by Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who called for the development of space applications for global peace and security.

The conference, organized by ESCAP, is an immediate follow-up of the Third U.N. Conference on Peaceful Use and Exploration of Outer Space held in Vienna in July this year.

Some 10 delegates of the Asia-Pacific region also addressed the ministerial conference that was preceded by a three-day senior officials' meeting which was closed Wednesday.

The senior officials' meeting adopted a draft report, which said the participants observed the significant progress that has been achieved in the field of space applications for sustainable development since the first Ministerial Conference on Space Applications for Development in Asia and the Pacific was held in Beijing in 1994.

The meeting also adopted a strategy and action plan on space technology applications for sustainable development in the region and mechanism for effective regional cooperation and reviewed the draft ministerial declaration that will be submitted to the ministerial conference for adoption.