ISLAMABAD – Pakistan takes a step forward towards acquiring the SatelliteNavigation Technology as it adopted China’s domestic satellite navigationsystem, becoming the first foreign state to use the Global PositioningSystem (GPS).
The system has been made by a Chinese firm, Beidou Satellite System, and itcan be used in various fields including agriculture, fishing,transportation, disaster reduction and relief sectors. The initiative ispart of bilateral agreements that were inked earlier between Pakistan andChina for promotion of navigation system, inter-connectivity, maritimecooperation, and aviation and aerospace.
The project covered Karachi and its surrounding areas supporting basicgeographic surveying, land management and port dispatching with reducedcosts and enhanced efficiency.
Commenting on the matter, Beidou Navigation Satellite System SpokespersonRAN Chengqi said, “We perceive a better cooperation perspective withPakistan in the field of satellite navigation system.”
He added, “Services provided by the company are wide-ranging and wouldbenefit the entire world through more international cooperation.” Chengqimaintained that enterprises of over 200 countries have already applied forBeidou’s technology and the products manufactured by Chinese companies arebeing exported to over 100 countries.
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“The users of the countries along the Belt and Road region will be ourtarget and we will provide our service to South East Asia, South Asia andAfrican,” he mentioned.
Beidou is counted amongst China’s largest space-based system that beganproviding positioning, navigation, timing and messaging services tocivilian users in China and other parts of the Asia-Pacific region inDecember 2012. At the end of 2018, Beidou started to provide globalservices.
In May 2013, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Pakistan and inked anagreement to introduce Beidou Satellite Navigation System in the country.
