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US-China tech war
ChinaScience

China’s BeiDou set to show the way as Xi Jinping commissions rival to America’s GPS

  • Completion of 30-satellite constellation marks a key milestone in country’s efforts to become a space power, vice-chairman of Central Military Commission says
  • BeiDou’s developers say system has three times the accuracy of GPS

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The final satellite in the BeiDou navigation system was launched in June. Photo: Handout
Liu Zhen

China on Friday officially commissioned its BeiDou satellite navigation system, which it hopes will rival the United States’ Global Positioning System (GPS).

Chinese President Xi Jinping made the announcement at a ceremony in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, attended by the country’s top military and government leaders.

General Zhang Youxia, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, praised BeiDou’s developers for hitting their target six months ahead of schedule despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It is an important milestone in the way our country climbs the heights of science and strides towards becoming a space power,” he said.

BeiDou has been providing basic global navigation services since 2018, but the completion of the constellation will greatly increase its positioning accuracy – from 10 metres (33 feet) to 10cm (four inches). GPS, which is owned by the US government and operated by the US Air Force, is accurate to about 30cm.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA), China’s military, used to rely on GPS for positioning and communication purposes, but switched to BeiDou once it became operational.
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