China joins hands with LatAm, Caribbean countries to explore space

WUHAN -- Representatives from China and Latin American and Caribbean countries attending a forum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on Wednesday agreed to further promote building a community of shared future for common progress through space cooperation.

A declaration was made during the first China-Latin American and Caribbean States Space Cooperation Forum held in Wuhan.

China and Latin American countries have already engaged in long-term, comprehensive and pragmatic space cooperation, covering multiple areas such as infrastructure construction, deep space exploration and space science, space industry chain, and the global governance of outer space.

Zhang Kejian, head of the China National Space Administration, said at the forum's opening ceremony that long-term space collaborations between China and Latin American and Caribbean countries have been carried out in many key projects, with numerous results and great potential for future cooperation.

Yue Yunxia, director of the economic research office of the Institute of Latin American Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said space cooperation between China and Latin American countries is not an empty slogan, but covers a wide range of fields.

"China-Latin America space cooperation has helped Latin American countries build their aerospace systems, train high-quality space technology personnel and achieve new breakthroughs in the aerospace field. China-Latin America cooperation on remote-sensing satellites, communication satellites and commercial space has promoted connections among Latin American countries, and improved people's well-being," Yue said.

WIN-WIN COOPERATION

Space cooperation between China and Argentina has become increasingly close in recent years. The two sides have cooperated on satellite navigation applications, and Argentina has provided support for China's deep-space exploration.

In 1999, the first China-Brazil earth-resource satellite was successfully launched. It was the first satellite jointly developed by China and another country.

In 2008, China launched Venezuela's first satellite -- the Venesat-1, or "Simon Bolivar" -- which carried communications facilities. In 2012, Venezuela's first remote-sensing satellite, the VRSS-1, was also launched into space from China. The satellite has facilitated Venezuela's land and resources census, urban planning, and disaster detection and management.

In a congratulatory letter to the forum, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said China and Venezuela have close cooperation and profound friendship in the field of aerospace sector, which is of great significance for promoting space cooperation between China and Latin America.

BENEFITING WORLD

Over the past 30 years, China and Brazil have jointly developed six earth-resource satellites. The satellite data has not only been widely applied in the fields of agriculture, water conservancy, environmental monitoring, but also provided abundant remote-sensing satellite services for developing countries in Latin America, Africa, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other regions.

Marco Antonio Chamon, president of the Brazilian Space Agency, said that Earth has been facing various challenges, such as climate change and ocean plastic pollution, which have exerted a great impact on society that no country could handle alone. Therefore, it is necessary for Latin America to cooperate with China to develop space technology and data services to solve current problems.

China-Latin America space cooperation has become an indispensable driving force for South-South cooperation, while Latin America has become one of the regions with which China has cooperated the most in space.

President of the Republic of Honduras Iris Xiomara Castro Sarmiento said in a congratulatory letter to the forum that China has been committed to carrying out space cooperation with developing countries, which can help both sides to overcome common challenges, achieve sustainable development and mitigate climate change and natural disasters.

SHARED FUTURE

Marcelo Suarez Salvia, ambassador of Argentina to China, expressed his expectations for the cooperation between China and Latin America during the forum.

"We are eager to learn more about China's space development," said the ambassador, adding that Argentina hopes to continuously deepen cooperation with China in various fields, especially space cooperation.

It is a common vision for China and Latin America to make proper use of space resources, conduct fair and reasonable global governance of outer space, and build a community with a shared future through space cooperation.

China-Latin America space cooperation will fully inherit the traditional friendship between China and Latin America, promote mutual benefit and the progress of space technologies and industrial capabilities of both sides, and make positive contributions to the common space-exploration cause of humanity, said Zhang.

"We will establish a long-term mechanism for cooperation and dialogue, strengthen high-level exchanges in the aerospace field, jointly plan future cooperation opportunities, and continue to implement high-quality cooperation projects that serve China and Latin America and benefit the world," Zhang added.