China advances space cooperation in 2020: blue book

BEIJING -- China actively promoted international space cooperation in 2020, offering satellite exports and launches, cooperative research and application services to the world, according to a recent report on China's aerospace industry.

By the end of last year, 51 Chinese rockets had launched 59 foreign commercial satellites into space, said the 2020 Blue Book of China Aerospace Science and Technology.

In January and November, China's Long March rockets took 12 commercial remote sensing satellites developed by Argentina's Satellogic into orbit. The company has agreed with the China Great Wall Industry Cooperation on plans to launch 90 satellites on Long March rockets.

In December, Ethiopia launched its second Chinese-backed satellite from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan province. The preliminary design of the satellite was done in Ethiopia, while a joint Ethiopian-Chinese engineering team did the technical and detailed design.

The report said it set a new example of international aid on climate change.

At the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2015, the Chinese government pledged to provide satellite television for 10,000 African villages.

The report said 19 African countries completed project acceptance in 2020, covering 8,162 villages. The project also rolled out educational videos for primary and middle school students in countries like Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.