PM meets delegation Of Chinese space tech company 'Galaxy Space'

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that Pakistan was keen to increase cooperation with China in the fields of space technology, space satellites, telecommunications, and satellite internet.

The prime minister, in a meeting with a delegation from the Chinese space technology company Galaxy Space, led by the company’s Chairman Xu Ming, said that Pakistan gave a great importance to the space technology sector.

The delegation members also showed keen interest in investing in Pakistan’s space technology industry and joint projects with Pakistani space institutions as well as private telecom companies.

Thanking the Government of Pakistan for warm hospitality, they told the prime minister that their meetings with officials from the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication and SUPARCO were very useful.

The meeting was also attended by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Advisor to PM Dr. Tauqir Shah and officers from other relevant government departments.

Earlier, Chinese government has decided to provide 1 billion yuan to Pakistan for the space centre project, ARY News reported on Tuesday quoting sources.

A well-placed source informed ARY News that the federal cabinet has approved a loan agreement with China for the Pakistan Space Centre project.

The federal cabinet approved the signing of agreement through a circulation summary.

China has provided satellite carrying or launching services for many countries like Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada and Luxembourg.

China has conducted space product and technology cooperation with countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Argentina, Pakistan, and Nigeria.

In 2019, former minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry announced that Pakistan will send its “first person to space” in 2022.

Chaudhry had said that there is an agreement between Pakistan and China and as the country does not have its own satellite launching facility, a Chinese facility will be used, as done previously.