Private enterprises play essential role in Beijing's burgeoning commercial space sector

Private companies are playing an essential role in Beijing's commercial space sector, which is rapidly developing, according to Beijing municipal government departments.

Beijing, one of the birthplaces of China's space industry, is home to over 50 percent of the nation's core research and development companies and organizations, along with most of its large-scale space infrastructure and specialized technical talents.

The Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission recently announced that Beijing's commercial space sector has entered a fast lane, achieving significant breakthroughs in reusable rockets.

On March 21 at 19:07 (Beijing Time), a private aerospace company in Beijing, Xinghe Power, successfully launched its independently designed and developed CERES-1 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China and sent the Yunyao-1 43-48 satellites into the preset orbit.

The satellite is China's first rocket to operate on land and at sea and is adaptable to various orbital missions. It is also a cost-effective and small solid-fuel rocket.

"This launch is part of our regular commercial mission. For the rocket, this marks our 19th launch, which further accelerates our rockets' mass production and industrialization. It's a valuable experience to improve the reliability of the rockets and lift our production and launch efficiency in the future," said Liu Baiqi, founder and CEO of Xinghe Power.

At another Beijing company's satellite advanced equipment manufacturing lab, a high-resolution, flat-panel remote sensing radar satellite is undergoing vibration testing, simulating the mechanical stresses the satellite would experience during a rocket launch.

The company is developing about 40 different types of satellites and has entered the initial stages of mass production.

"Our self-developed 0.5-meter high-resolution remote sensing camera has successfully completed on-orbit flight verification. For a private enterprise, this is a major breakthrough. Its imaging quality is excellent, and we have halved its costs," said Chang Wujun, a chief satellite engineer of Beijing Minospace Technology Co., Ltd.

Private enterprises play essential role in Beijing's burgeoning commercial space sector

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Wednesday in Beijing with Nauruan Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Lionel Aingimea, who came to China for the opening ceremony of the Nauru Embassy in China.

Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that since the resumption of diplomatic relations between China and Nauru, both sides have fostered mutual understanding and support, while the pragmatic cooperation has developed comprehensively, bringing tangible benefits to the people of Nauru.

China appreciates Nauru's firm adherence to the one-China policy and believes that Nauru will continue to support China in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, thus consolidating the political foundation of bilateral relations, Wang said.

China is willing to deepen cooperation with Nauru in various fields including agriculture and fisheries, sports, marine development, climate change response, and capacity building, Wang said, adding that China congratulates Nauru on the upcoming official opening of its embassy in China and is willing to provide conveniences and assistance for the embassy's operation.

Aingimea, for his part, said that Nauru sincerely thanks China for the valuable assistance provided in infrastructure construction and socio-economic development, which helps improve people's livelihood and sustainable development of Nauru.

Nauru will not waver in its stance of adhering to the one-China principle and looks forward to expanding bilateral cooperation in various fields and pushing bilateral relations to a new level, Aingimea added.

Chinese FM meets Nauruan counterpart