Chinese-Arab Ties: Countries eye closer cooperation on satellite navigation

World
Europe

02:40

Arab countries are cooperating with Beijing to make the most of the Beiduo Satelite system, a navigation network developed independently by China. CGTN's Adnen Chaouachi explains how the Beiduo system is helping to boost economies in North Africa and beyond.

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Tunisia announced that China and Arab countries aim to deepen cooperation on the wider application of China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System BDS in the Middle East.

SLIM KHALBOUS TUNISIAN MINISTER FOR HIGHER EDUCATION & RESEARCH "This is a strategic partnership between Tunisia, the Arab world and China. We will boost China-Arab cooperation on the application of satellite navigation technology, which has been widely used in maritime transportation, disaster reduction, land surveying, environmental monitoring, and precision agriculture"

The Ambassador for China-Arab States Cooperation Forum said that increasing Chinese BDS application in the region will benefit millions of people.

LI CHENGWEN, AMBASSADOR CHINA ARAB STATES COOPERATION FORUM "We are proud of the successful cooperation between China and its friends in the Arab world in scientific research and economic sectors. Increasing Satellite navigation projects will transform the everyday life of people."

Representatives from several leading Chinese companies including China Great Wall Industry Corporation CASC and Beijing BDStar Navigation which is operating in Algeria have promoted their products in the Arab region and Africa.

JASON ZHANG, VICE PRESIDENT BEIJING BDSTAR NAVIGATION "With this system, you can get positioning precision from meter level down to centimeter level even to millimeter level. This is a really interesting product in Africa."

LI KEFEI SATELLITE NAVIGATION TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, CASC "We are one of the manufacturers of the satellites. BeiDou Satellites consist of 35 satellites. It will have full coverage of the world in 2020.''

ADNEN CHAOUACHI TUNIS "According to the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the establishment of the China-Arab States BDS/GNNS Center in Tunis in 2018 was an important step in deepening China-Arab cooperation. Tunisian and Chinese officials and scientists have called for jointly building a China-Arab Space Silk Road. AC, CGTN, T."