With Beidou, Beijing concretizes its "new space silk routes"

For China, the "new silk routes" also go through space. Beijing successfully placed the 35th and last satellite of its national navigation system, Beidou, into orbit on Monday June 23. A feat that allows it to compete globally with American GPS, the European alternative Galileo and Glonass, the solution developed by the Russians. 

It is the culmination of a long-term project, started in 1983 under the impulse of Chen Fangyun, an engineer nicknamed the "father of Chinese satellites". But it was not until the early 2000s that Beidou really took off, with the establishment of a network of satellites capable of providing a system of landmarks for the Chinese territory. "The Chinese have understood that navigation systems are bringing about a technological revolution in the military field by observing the effectiveness of American air raids during the Iraq war in 2003," said Keith Hayward, director of research at the Royal aeronautical society, who worked on the Chinese aerospace industry, contacted by France 24. 

A guarantee of autonomy

Twelve years later, Beijing succeeded in extending its coverage of Beidou to the entire Asian continent. From a military-inspired project, this device then also became an economic tool. "These satellites are essential for China because they allow it to compensate for the lack of communication infrastructure on the ground to support its development", explains to France 24 Isabelle Sourgès-Verger, specialist in space policies at the CNRS and author of a book on the conquest of space by China.

The putting into orbit of the 35th satellite now makes Beidou operational all over the world. A crucial step in terms of Chinese ambitions to become a power at the forefront of innovation. "Most of the priority technologies for Beijing - the Internet of Things, 5G or autonomous cars for example - require the use of a navigation system", specifies Isabelle Sourgès-Verger. And they must be able to operate on all continents.

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The stake is too important to depend on a technology "made in USA". "The development of Beidou gives the Chinese essential autonomy. Whether from a military or civil point of view, you do not want to depend on a country [the United States, note] which, in the event of a major crisis, can decide to cut you off from browsing data, "says Keith Hayward.

The proof that "Beijing is not a technological parasite"

It is also a diplomatic asset. China thus signals "that it is not a technological parasite and is able to offer a tool to the world which brings an advantage, because Beidou seems to be slightly better than the American GPS", underlines the British expert. 

And Beijing intends to use this card. Beidou is, in fact, an important stone brought to the building of the famous "new silk routes", this vast program of investments in infrastructure outside of China which mixes economic and diplomatic objectives. "In the documents around this program, there was one specific to the development of Beidou", underlines Isabelle Sourgès-Verger. Nothing could be more logical: "From the moment when Beijing projects its economic power beyond its borders, it needs a clean navigation system for its trains, its boats and all that is mobile", affirms the French researcher.

It is no coincidence that some, including the United States government, consider Beidou to be the cornerstone of the "space silk routes". A vast network of satellites that covers the entire planet appears to be an ideal complement to the many land and sea routes that Beijing has been implementing for more than a decade.

The golden egg GPS ?

But still there must be customers for his Beidou which, like the American GPS is offered free of charge. "About 70 countries that participate in the 'silk routes' are already declared partners [of this navigation system, Editor's note] or have applied," said researcher Emmanuel Meneut in a note on cybersecurity issues at Beidou, published in May 2020 by the Institute for International and Strategic Relations. For the time being, these are mainly Asian countries.

Beijing can also use it as a bonus gift to convince countries that are hesitant to join the "new silk routes". "It is not as interesting as if China offers to build your 5G network, but if the Chinese authorities offer a more precise version of Beidou [as with GPS, there are, for example, several levels of precision at navigation system, depending on the type of use, note], this can help build a relationship of trust ", assures Keith Hayward. 

But China is not only trying to make new "friends" with Beidou. She hopes her navigation system will become a very profitable business. "It is not the signal as such which is, financially, important, but all the derivatives and services which can result from it," assures Keith Hayward. The American GPS has shown the way in this area with, in particular, digital mapping solutions or all geolocation services on smartphones. 

Beijing has already started to do the same. Services linked to Beidou to better control port traffic or coordinate rescue operations in the event of a natural disaster have already been exported to more than 100 countries, Chinese media said in early June. China hopes that with the global deployment of its navigation system, this sector will be able to bring in $ 57 billion as of this year, reports Reuters.

"It is certain that competition in this area will strengthen," concludes Isabelle Sourgès-Verger. The US Congress has warned, in a report published in November 2019, that Chinese ambitions in space through its satellite program are posing an increasing threat to the United States, both on the economically only in terms of influence. What give Donald Trump a new reason for dissatisfaction with Beijing?

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