All key parts of BeiDou satellites made in China: chief designer

All the key components of China's BeiDou navigation satellites are made in China, ending reliance on imports, Xie Jun, chief designer of the Beidou system, said on Tuesday.

Key components such as traveling-wave tube amplifiers, microwave switches, and high-power current source controllers are now all made in China instead of being imported, Xie said.

Xie also said his team has mastered all the core technologies for the global BeiDou network of satellites, aiming to make it as good as the Global Positioning System (GPS).

China plans to make BeiDou a global positioning and navigation system by around 2020, making it the third country after the United States and Russia with its own navigation system.

In 2018, China plans to launch 18 BeiDou-3 satellites to expand navigation services to countries along the Belt and Road routes.