A Chinese company has expressed its intention to develop a satellite project with the Lao government, in a plan proposed to Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh when the President of the China Asia Pacific Mobile Telecommunications Satellite Co., Ltd, China-APMT, Mr Han QingPing, met with him on Friday.
China-APMT is interested in developing a satellite ground station in Laos to be a service hub in domestic and international regions.
The company intends to establish a joint venture in Laos to create a new satellite which is able to provide communications systems through television broadcasting and Internet links that can cover Laos and the sub-region.
The Chinese Ambassador to Laos , who accompanied the delegation, informed Mr Bouasone that the Chinese government supported the Laos-China space project and the establishment of the joint venture.
Mr Bouasone thanked the delegation for signifying its intention to help Laos develop a satellite project, which would help in the country's socio-economic development process, and also establish Laos as a main satellite provider in the sub-region.
According to the press release from the Prime Minister's Office, to make this project a reality, the two governments will sign a cooperation agreement on science and space technology, to be assigned to the Science, Technology and Environment Agency as the representative of Lao government to cooperate with the China National Space Administration, on behalf of the Chinese government.
According to the agreement, the two sides will cooperate to develop the Lao communications system and develop the ground satellite station, as well as providing training and technology transfer.
Later, the two sides will exchange information about the system of taking satellite photos, the development of software and the use of satellite picture information.
China-APMT will also set up another delegation to discuss the details of the agreement with the Lao side.
Also last week, the President of China-APMT invited Prime Minister Bouasone to visit the space research station in China .
China –APMT is a state enterprise that provides satellite services in China and the Asia Pacific region.
