China preparing for new era of space economy

BEIJING -- After six decades of aerospace development, it is high time for China to embrace the new era of space economy, participants at a forum agreed Thursday.

During the first China Space Economic Forum, in Beijing on Thursday, government officials, aerospace scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs exchanged views on China's space economy developments.

While addressing the forum, Tian Yulong, chief engineer of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence, noted that much of China's space technology and infrastructure achievements were ready for commercial use-oriented development.

Official data shows that, currently, more than 2,000 kinds of aerospace technology in China are being used in various industries, and 880 kinds of new materials have been developed based on aerospace technology in recent years.

The government is accelerating cooperation with the military, discussing plans to share military space resources with enterprises to ensure government investment better benefits the public, said Tian, who is also general-secretary of China National Space Administration.

Concurring with Tian, Yu Dengyun from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation added that China must push ahead with further development of aerospace technology.

China has announced it will complete aerospace projects currently underway by around 2020, including manned space programs, lunar probes, the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System and the Gaofen observation satellite program. A Mars exploration program is scheduled to begin around 2020.

Satellite applications should be central to space economic development in China at present, and the country must strengthen its commercial use of domestic remote sensing satellites and provide better services to the public, said Yu.

Attendees of the forum agreed that China initiatives including "Internet Plus," "China Manufacturing 2025" and the "Belt and Road" initiative have driven development of China's space economy.

Moreover, a law on aerospace has been listed in China's legislation plan, and the central government has signed over 100 aerospace cooperation agreements with more than 30 countries, which will provide a favorable environment for space economic development in the country, Tian said.