China has applied for hosting the 2012 International Astronomical Union (IAU) conference in Beijing, Zhang Shuangnan, head of the Chinese delegation to the current IAU conference, said on Thursday.

The IAU conference for 2006 began on Monday in the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague.

Zhang said that the IAU conference, with its strong expertise in the field, is the highest academy in the field of astronomy.

He also said that the conference is not confined to the field of astronomy only, but has become an important platform in the field of exploration of the universe and large-scale space research.

In recent years, due to an ever-increasing financial support, China has made fast progress in the field of astronomy and has caught up with international standards.

Zhang said that the Chinese scholars' research results and papers have also attracted international attention in the field of astronomy, adding that the Chinese astronomers altogether presented 60 academic papers and were also invited to present reports several times.

France, Germany, Greece and some other countries also applied to host the event, making the competition fierce. The Chinese delegation would spare no efforts in the campaign, Zhang said.

The 12-day conference attracted around 2,500 astronomers from 75 countries. Scientists were expected to work on finding an internationally accepted definition of what constitutes a planet, and decide whether Pluto should be included.

(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2006)