Beidou system to navigate China-ASEAN co-op

Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) will play a bigger role in building the "diamond decade" of China-ASEAN cooperation, as hi-tech information technology will be applied in more areas of cooperation.

The Chinese system is the world's third satellite system, after the US' GPS and Russia's GLONASS.

Ran Chengqi, director of the administration center of Beidou (COMPASS) Navigation Satellite System, said the system will be widely used in disaster relief, tourism and transportation as an effective way to tap a new cooperative area and new energy, at a forum, as part of the ongoing 10th CAEXPO in Nanning on Tuesday.

Laos signed on to apply Beidou in its agriculture and forestry, before the opening of the expo on Monday.

Thailand's science and technology minister said Thailand chose Beidou because of its wide usage and reasonable price, and the price might be lowered as China-ASEAN cooperation grows.

Thailand was the first country outside China to introduce Beidou to forecast disaster weather after signing with two research institutes based in Central China's Wuhan.