China eyes broad Asian economic cooperation, with one eye on space development:

Eight countries from the Asia-Pacific region signed a convention on space co-operation in Beijing on Friday as the precursor to establishing an inter-governmental organization facilitating international alliances in the peaceful use of space.

The convention signed by Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan, Peru, Thailand and China will take effect once five or more United Nations members in the region sign the document and deliver the instrument of ratification to the Chinese Government, the host country.

The signing marks a milestone for the official launch of the Asia-Pacific Space Co-operation Organization (APSCO), which will be headquartered in Beijing. (ed.—emphasis added.) [Read more…]

China has already embarked on a joint satellite initiative with Thailand, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Bangladesh and Iran, and plans to launch one small satellite to be shared by these nations in late 2006.

Meanwhile, China has already begun bilateral cooperation with Iran to enable Iran’s satellite “survey, research and meteorological” programs. Such cooperation is only one example of increased trade between the two nations in the field of communications technologies:

LONDON, October 30 (IranMania) - Iran’s Minister of Communication and Information Technology (CIT) Mohammad Soleymani announced Iran’s interest in transferring China’s communication and telecommunication technology to Iran.

He told IRNA that Iran and China enjoy favorable relations in the domain of communication and telecommunication technology and declared that Iran has purchased telecommunication systems from China over the past years. [Read more…]

Iran’s first satellite — built with Chinese technology — will soon be launched from Plesetsk, Russia, with another following this year and a third in 2006. Though ostensibly designed for “communications and the monitoring of natural disasters,” the satellite may also serve a dual purpose; or, perhaps Iran has greater plans for future satellites, including one Sino-Iranian “SMMS” satellite which will be a “multipurpose satellite”:

NICOSIA [MENL] — China and Iran have launched a satellite project.

Officials said Beijing and Teheran were working on the development of a small multi-purpose satellite. The facility, called SMMS, was meant to provide Iran with space reconnaissance of ground targets.

“The main objective of the satellite is to conduct surveillance from long distance, parts of which have been designed by Iranian experts,” Iranian Communications Minister Mohammed Suleimani said. “A laboratory sample of the satellite has also been made.”

Suleimani said the Iranian-Chinese joint satellite would be launched in the coming years. The minister did not elaborate. (ed.—emphasis added.) [link]

While the Russian Federation aids Iran’s satellite program, in collusion with China, greater bilateral Sino-Russian cooperation has resulted from the recent meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Xinhuanet.com reports on a lessening of bilateral friction between Asia’s two powerhouses:

MOSCOW, Oct. 30 (Xinhuanet) — Marked progress has been made in the strategic partnership between Russia and China in recent years,with bilateral cooperation yielding tangible results, according to the Russian foreign ministry.

Russia and China are now clear of any major political issue that might trouble bilateral relations, this favorable situation enables both sides to concentrate on developing their ties in wide-ranging fields, Mikhail Kamynin, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, said in a recent statement.

Kamynin described the bilateral ties between Russia and China as “irreversible.” [Read more…]

Increased economic as well as strategic military ties — following up on the recent “Peace Mission 2005” military maneuvers and SCO negotiations — are going to include exploration of the moon:

Sanya. November 1. (Interfax) - Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) deputy chief Yury Nosenko says that Russia and China may undertake a major moon mission in the near future.

China has asked Russia to participate in its unmanned lunar probe program, Nosenko told reporters on Monday.

Russia did similar research in the 1960s-1970s and will only assist China in the implementation of the project, Nosenko said.

After China completes this research, Russia may consider a joint program for the study and exploration of the Moon, probably in 2012, when Russia is planning to launch a research probe to the moon.

“After that, we may undertake a joint project designed for five to 10 years,” Nosenko said. [Read more… May require registration.]

Sino-Russian exploration of the moon is expected to culminate in a joint manned mission following “a detailed geographic, geologic and ballistic study of the moon’s surface and the creation of spare parts bases and water reserves.” Yury Nosenko’s mild suggestion that “Russia and China may” jointly explore the moon seems odd considering the fact that the Russian and Chinese prime ministers are soon expected to direct their respective national agencies to draw up plans for a 10-year space cooperation pact which will take effect in 2007.

While China works on greater Asian cooperation in the utilization of space, leading to an overlap of APSCO and SCO interests, it is clear that China and Russia continue to dominate all cooperative moves. Less technologically advanced states in the cooperative organizations may get a small number of satellites at first, but China and Russia together will be seeking lunar development — some distance beyond the range of those other states’ satellite systems.

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Addendum: The SMMS — Small Multimission Spacecraft — imaging satellite mentioned above may actually be the same satellite planned for utilization by the APSCO members listed in the first citation above — not just by and for Iran, although Iran and Pakistan may have somewhat autonomous control over their own “imaging” use of the satellite. For more information on the satellite, check out GlobalSecurity.org: SMMS. This is a project that has been in development since 1998.