SUN Laiyan, Director of the China National Space Administration recently told reporters that China has harvested from its collaboration with the European Space Agency. Following the dual-satellite initiative, a cooperation program between the two agencies, the China National Space Agency and the UK National Space Center jointly inked in early 2005 a cooperation agreement in Beijing. In 2004, the China National Space Administration lined up a series of cooperation initiatives with France, and outlined future cooperation directions and working mechanism with Italy. In addition, China has enhanced its space cooperation activities with Russia, and achieved progresses in cooperative projects.

China also saw new progresses in developing series resource satellites in collaboration with Brazil. To ensure the continuity of satellite applications, China plans to add a 02b satellite to the series before 2006. China National Space Administration has signed with the Argentine National Space Activities Committee a cooperation agreement. Other countries, including Chile, Peru, and Venezuela have showed their intentions to cooperate with China in the same area.

On the basis of regular meetings launched last year between the heads of national space agencies of China and the US, China has invited the head of the US National Space Agency to visit China. During the visit, both sides will enhance communications and exchanges on space cooperation activities.

SUN added that China would continue to support the international exchanges and cooperation in the fields of space technology, space applications, and space science, strengthening its cooperation with Europe, promoting the regional space cooperation in a major initiative for an Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization, and striving for more cooperation with developing nations. Meanwhile, China is willing to cooperate with the US, and strengthen its cooperation with the United Nations in the same field.