VIENNA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Wednesday called for strengthening of outer space governance and cooperation in the international community's joint effort to build a shared future in space exploration.
Shi Zhongjun, China's ambassador to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna, made the remarks at the UNISPACE+50 gathering, held to mark the 50th anniversary of the first United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
The Chinese envoy called for efforts to foster a sense of shared future to promote the sustainable development of outer space.
A shared vision for the future in space exploration and use is not only consistent with the objectives and purposes established in the Outer Space Treaty -- that the exploration and use of outer space should be for the benefit and in the interest of all countries -- but also in line with current needs to protect the outer space environment and promote sustainability both for outer space activities and socioeconomic development, Shi said.
He said the principle of wide consultation, joint construction and shared benefits should be followed in efforts to take the global space governance to a new level.
Currently, space congestion highlights the difficulties of governance, the emergence of a commercial space industry calls for regulatory reform, and large numbers of developing countries have yet to benefit fully from space technology, he noted.
Moreover, he said that the China-proposed Belt and Road initiative has brought strong impetus to space cooperation.
With multiple countries and regions along the Belt and Road, China has established mechanisms of cooperation in the satellite navigation area and will jointly build a Belt and Road space information corridor to promote information connectivity in the regions concerned, he added.
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