BEIJING, Nov. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- China is actively taking part in international co-operation 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 reso-lution 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.

    International co-operation is vital for the results, said vice-minister of science and technology Liu Yanhua.

    
(China Daily)