BeiDou navigation system guides China-Arab cooperation on 'Space Silk Road'

A SPACE SILK ROAD TAKING SHAPE

On a sunny afternoon in April at the China-Arab States BDS/GNSS Center, Ahmed Zenkri, a sophomore engineering student from Tek-up University, was amazed by the perfect run of a self-driving tractor equipped with the BDS, during which it smartly averted obstacles and drove along the planned routes via remote control.

"I have never seen this technology in Tunisia before," Zenkri told Xinhua. "But I am absolutely impressed."

Zenkri is not alone. Many Arab experts and business people attending the second China-Arab States BDS Cooperation Forum in Tunis on Monday were stunned by the precision of the navigation service provided by the BDS.

Such a driverless tractor, which is part of precision agriculture, can reduce labor costs and increase crop yields, Shen Jun, deputy director of the International Cooperation Center of the China Satellite Navigation Office, told Xinhua.

"The demonstration was amazing. I saw how the BDS, a modern technology, can be integrated into the traditional agricultural sector. The driverless machinery can operate in a highly accurate way, so I believe that the system can be applied to a wide range of other agricultural activities," said Hassan Kherroubi, a Tunisian specialist in the mechanical industry at the Mjez El-Beb engineering school.

The BDS, developed and independently operated by China, can provide services of comparable quality to other major satellite systems like the American GPS and European Galileo systems, said Mohamed Ben Amor, secretary-general of the AICTO.

Being compatible with other positioning systems, it also boasts unique advantages such as providing two-way messaging services, which can not only reveal one's position, but also broadcast one's position to others, according to Ran Chengqi, director of the China Satellite Navigation Office.

With the BDS starting global service in late 2018, many expect it to add a whole new dimension to China-Arab cooperation, which has been picking up speed under the BRI.

The BRI refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe, Africa and beyond.

At the second China-Arab States BDS Cooperation Forum attended by more than 200 officials, experts and business people from China and Arab countries, several agreements on furthering cooperation on the BDS application were inked.

The participants envisioned building a "Space Silk Road" through closer cooperation on a wider application of the BDS in the Middle East.

"The BDS cooperation is the best example of the strategic cooperation between China and Arab states, as satellite navigation integrates many hi-tech areas, including telecommunication and space technologies," Slim Khalbous, Tunisian minister of higher education and scientific research, said at the forum.

"This is an important opportunity for Tunisia, while the BDS cooperation also means the further upgrade of China-Arab relations," Khalbous said.

Kamal Hassan Ali, assistant secretary general of the Arab League in charge of economic affairs, praised China, which has made important contributions to building the ancient Silk Road, for establishing an excellent mechanism for cooperation and exchanges with Arab states.

"The size of our cooperation will grow bigger, as the China-Tunisia cooperation has borne many fruits, and it will achieve greater progress in other countries in the region too," Ali said.

Wang Zhaoyao, chairman of the Chinese Satellite Navigation Committee, called for jointly building a China-Arab "Space Silk Road" which he said will help Arab states share more benefits from the China-made navigation satellite system.

He noted that the BDS has been applied in many Middle Eastern countries, including Tunisia, Algeria, Kuwait and Sudan in areas such as precision agriculture, telecommunication, maritime monitoring and disaster relief.

Li Chengwen, the Chinese ambassador for China-Arab States Cooperation Forum Affairs, said that the "Space Silk Road" is taking shape as the BDS becomes a new engine for pushing forward fruitful China-Arab cooperation, especially in hi-tech areas.