China pushes BeiDou navigation system deeper into global markets

CHANGSHA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- China is advancing its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) deeper into global markets, unveiling new products, technologies and applications at a summit in central China this week, as it seeks to position the system as a shared global service.

At the 5th International Summit on BDS Applications held in Zhuzhou, Hunan Province, an international cooperation and innovation base for BeiDou applications was formally inaugurated, with plans to build a series of flagship overseas application demonstration projects and gradually construct a cooperation framework linking China's BeiDou industry with international markets.

China has been steadily advancing the overseas rollout of BeiDou technology, products, standards and services, integrating the system into global infrastructure and serving economic and social development in Belt and Road countries.

A report on BeiDou industry development released at the summit said that since completing global networking in 2020, the system's global service capabilities have continued to strengthen, with the foundation in place to provide stable, reliable and continuous services worldwide.

BeiDou's capabilities in positioning, navigation, timing and short-message communication have continued to improve, reinforcing its global expansion in high-precision applications such as transportation, agriculture, marine fisheries and emergency rescue, according to the report.

BeiDou has been fully incorporated into the standards systems of 11 international organizations, including the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Maritime Organization and COSPAS-SARSAT, an international satellite system for search and rescue, covering core areas like civil aviation, maritime affairs and mobile communications.

Zhang Junping, a Hunan provincial government official overseeing business services, said BeiDou is now one of four global satellite navigation systems recognized by the United Nations, with related products exported to more than 140 countries and regions.

In Belt and Road countries, BeiDou applications and products account for 58 percent of the market, he noted. Zhang cited projects ranging from smart port operations at Peru's Chancay port to BeiDou monitoring on the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge, and from precision agriculture in Laos to taxi dispatch in Cambodia.

Experts at the summit said satellite navigation is not a zero-sum game, and that BeiDou is willing to be compatible and interoperable with other global navigation systems to jointly build global spatial-temporal infrastructure. Demonstration projects have already been implemented in multiple African and Southeast Asian countries for land surveying, disaster monitoring and fisheries management.

Myo Thant, deputy director general of the Myanmar Space Agency, said there is considerable potential for BeiDou applications in Myanmar, particularly in high-precision positioning, transportation, agriculture, surveying and mapping, and disaster management.

"Myanmar is keen to deepen practical cooperation with China and other stakeholders in technical standards, testing and certification, professional training, capacity building, technology transfer and the development of practical BeiDou application projects," Thant added.

BeiDou now provides signal coverage to over 200 countries and regions. Its international promotion is entering a key transition period from broad expansion to deeper value creation, and from product exports to ecosystem building, the report said.