Beidou helps put region on the map

Homegrown navigation network launched for civilians in Asia-Pacific

The Beidou navigation system began providing services for civilians in the Asia-Pacific region on Thursday.

After going through a one-year trial operation and adding six more satellites in 2012, Beidou, in terms of performance, is "comparable" to the United States' GPS, Ran Chengqi, spokesman for the China Satellite Navigation Office, told a news conference on Thursday.