China to assist navigation in Arab countries

BEIJING -- The first forum on BeiDou cooperation between China and Arab countries will be held Wednesday in Shanghai, according to China's satellite navigation administrative office.

The forum will feature training sessions and an exhibition of the uses of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS).

The BDS meets the requirement of Arab countries in public and energy security, communications and logistics, mapping, precision agriculture and smart city development, said Yang Changfeng, chief designer of the BDS.

The forum will become a long-term mechanism for satellite navigation cooperation, said Yang.

China has already sent 22 BeiDou satellites into space and plans to form a network of 35 satellites for global navigation by 2020.

BeiDou is the Chinese name for the Big Dipper constellation.