The Beidou Navigation Satellite System - China's independently developed global navigation satellite system (GNSS) - will have a constellation of 35 satellites and be ready to provide global users with geo-positioning by 2020, according to Xinhuanet.com reports.

By 2020, China will be the third country to provide a GNSS, said Lei Fanpei, chairman of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. He is in charge of research and development and manufacturing of satellites and rockets for Beidou.

In the next decade, the Beidou system will have five geostationary orbit satellites and 30 non-geostationary satellites, Lei said, adding that it will be able to provide highly precise and reliable positioning and navigation services to users.

"Completion of the system will help nurture a satellite navigation industry chain, producing economic and social benefits in diversified fields, including mapping, telecommunications and disaster relief," said Lei.

PLA drill applies China's own GPS

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) finished a two-day drill on Friday, testing application of the Beidou system in combat in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The military used the system for precise positioning and navigating, real-time location reporting and data transmission over long distances, according to a news release from the PLA General Staff Headquarters.

It said that Beidou has allowed the armies to achieve greater precision in command, weapon firing, and logistics, and that the technology "has been integrated into the PLA's modern command system and weapon platform".

Beidou is the Chinese equivalent of the United States' NAVSTAR Global Positioning System and Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System. Currently, Beidou owns 20 satellites.