China promotes int'l development of homegrown navigation satellite system: white paper

BEIJING - China has been promoting international satellite navigation applications and will push forward the international development of China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), said a white paper issued on Thursday.

"China actively pushes forward the cooperation and exchanges between the BDS and other navigation satellite systems in the fields of system construction and application from all perspectives," said the document on the BDS issued by the State Council Information Office.

The country makes efforts to strengthen compatibility and interoperability, achieve resource sharing, complementarity and technology advancement, improve the services of navigation satellite systems, and provide users with more qualified, diversified, safe and reliable services, according to the white paper.

China is also utilizing frequency and orbital slot resources according to international rules, it said.

As limited and valuable natural resources, frequencies and orbital slots provide a critical foundation for the development of navigation satellite systems.

Adhering to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) rules, China works to facilitate coordination of BDS frequencies and orbital slots through negotiations, actively participates in the research and formulation of ITU rules and other relevant activities, and expands radio-navigation frequency resources through cooperation with other nations, it said.

Since 2000 China has held effective coordination activities on more than 300 satellite networks with more than 20 countries, regions and international organizations, according to the white paper.

In addition, China promotes the ratification of the BDS by international standards, it said, adding that "the ratification of the BDS by international standards is a milestone for the integration of the BDS into international systems."

China spares no effort to get the BDS ratified by the International Organization for Standardization and other international organizations in the industrial and professional application sectors.

Currently, positive efforts are being made to advance the recognition of the BDS in the International Civil Aviation Organization, International Maritime Organization, Third-Generation Mobile Communication Standard Partnership Project, and other organizations.

China advocates the involvement of enterprises, scientific research, colleges and universities in the formulation of satellite navigation terminals and application standards. In November 2014 the BDS gained recognition from the International Maritime Organization, according to the white paper.