China to replace foreign satellites

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BEIJING, Nov 19 (AFP): China is aiming to replace all its imported communications and broadcast satellites with home-made ones by 2010 as part of efforts to reduce its reliance on overseas technology, state media said Monday.
The nation will step up research and development of these satellites as just one out of the 12 currently in use is Chinese-made, Sun Laiyan, chief of the China National Space Administration, was quoted by the Beijing News as saying.
"The rest were all bought from foreign companies," said Sun, who is also vice minister of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry, at a conference Sunday.
As China has become an economic powerhouse in recent decades, it has been intent on trying to phase out its use of overseas technology in a wide range of sectors for financial as well as national interest reasons.
Some of the key sectors that have made huge efforts to introduce domestic technoology are the military, rail,telecommunications and energy.
China will also strive to finish the feasibility study of the second and third stages of its moon mission and its joint mission to Mars with Russia within three years, the official Xinhua news agency quoted Sun as saying.
China launched its first lunar orbiter last month, an event regarded by the nation as a milestone event in its space ambitions and global rise.