China is actively taking part in international cooperation in earth observation satellites, to study meteorology, natural resources, environment surveillance and other civil air-to-surface research, sources from the Ministry of Science and Technology said.

Chinese scientists and their counterparts in the Surrey Company of Britain are jointly developing a satellite for meteorological studies.

The satellite, with a higher resolution than ordinary meteorological satellites, is expected to be launched next May, said the ministry's official Shao Liqin, at a news conference yesterday in Beijing.

Through satellite-based earth observation, Chinese scientists are also working hard to study global climate change and water resource rationalization and build a large database of new findings.

Their studies will focus on the Indian Ocean, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and adjacent areas, the North Pole and the South Pole, to approach new findings for climate change.

Studies into features such as atmosphere, water resources and oceans cannot be carried out by nations alone. International cooperation is vital for results, said vice-minister of science and technology Liu Yanhua.

(China Daily November 9, 2004)