China will focus on upgrading the overall level and capacity of its satellite carrier rockets and fulfil its push for a manned space flight in the "near-term," participants at an international aviation and aerospace forum have been told.

A high ranking official said the performance and reliability of the nation's existing Long March series - used to launch 30 foreign-made satellites since 1985 - will be upgraded and the development of next generation launch vehicles will be concentrated on producing non-toxic, non-polluting and low cost units.

A focus on providing international commercial launch services will continue and complete the research, development and testing system for a manned space flight is in the making.

At the China International Aviation and Aerospace Forum 2002, Ma Xingrui, vice-president of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation said yesterday the space technology would assist the country to further advance its satellite research.

China has more than 600 satellite-related institutions and departments with almost 10,000 technicians involved in the research, development, testing and application of satellite remote sensing.

China has a remote sensing satellite ground station capable of receiving data from electro-optical or radar-based satellites.

Many satellites are used by provinces and municipalities to gain survey information, in addition to monitoring crop estimation and disaster assessment.

Ma said meteorological satellite systems have greatly improved the accuracy of weather forecasts, helping to reduce economic losses from natural disasters by several billion yuan.

(China Daily November 4, 2002)