Officials from China National Space Administration answer queries during a press conference in Beijing in April. (Photo : Reuters)
Six decades of development in aerospace technology have made it possible for China to enter the new era of space economy, according to participants of the first China Space Economic Forum in Beijing on Thursday, June 16.
The forum was attended by aerospace scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and government officials, who discussed China's space economy developments, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
According to Tian Yulong, chief engineer of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence, China's space technology and infrastructure achievements can now be used for commercial development.
More than 2,000 kinds of Chinese aerospace technologies are being used in various industries, and based on aerospace technology, around 880 kinds of new materials have been developed in recent years, government data showed.
Tian, who is also the general-secretary of China National Space Administration, said that the government is pushing and discussing plans with the military to share their resources with enterprises to enable the public to gain more benefits from its investment.
Yu Dengyun from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation agreed with Tian and urged for further development of the country's aerospace technology.
The country's aerospace projects are expected to be completed by 2020 and include lunar probes, manned space programs, the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System and the Gaofen observation satellite program. A Mars exploration program is also expected to begin by the same time.
Although satellite applications should be the focus of China's space economic development, the government must enhance the commercial use of its remote sensing satellites to better serve the public, Yu said.
The forum participants have all agreed that the development of the country's space economy was driven by programs such as the "Internet Plus," "China Manufacturing 2025" and the "Belt and Road" initiative.
Tian added that the favorable environment for the further development of the country's space economy will be ensured by a new law on aerospace and more than 100 cooperation agreements signed by the government with more than 30 countries.
