Representatives From 50 African Countries Take Part in Inaugural China-Africa Beidou Forum

Officials from the China Satellite Navigation Committee in Beijing who took part in the first-ever China-Africa Beidou System Cooperation Forum on Friday. Image via China Daily.

More than 600 representatives from almost every African country, including eight ministers and eight ambassadors, attended the first-ever China-Africa Beidou System Cooperation Forum that took place on Friday in Beijing and also online with stakeholders in Africa. 

The Beidou Navigation Satellite System is China’s answer to the U.S.’ GPS and the EU’s Galileo space-based navigation systems but only that Beidou today is much larger than either of the Western alternatives. The Chinese nav system provides more coverage of 85% of the capitals in 195 countries around the world compared to GPS, according to research done by Nikkei Asia.

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