According to an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release issued in Dhaka yesterday, Bangladesh signed the APSCO Convention on October 28 in Beijing's Great Hall to further expand cooperation among the Asia-Pacific countries in space technology and its application.

The applications of space technology will help the areas of disaster management, communication and information networking, environmental monitoring, natural resource accounting and enhance national capacities.

Bangladesh ambassador to China Ashfaqur Rahman signed the Convention with the Chinese Vice Premier Huang Ju presiding over the signing ceremony. Bangladesh's signing of the APSCO Convention follows a recent cabinet decision in this regard.

The Convention will come into effect when at least five signatory states deposit their instrument of ratification to the host China.

Following Bangladesh's signing, an interim council to oversee the work of the Convention was formed comprising the representatives of the eight signatory states.

The eight signatory states are Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan, Peru and Thailand. Representatives from Argentina, Malaysia, Russia, Ukraine and the Philippines also attended the signing ceremony.

Meeting the representatives Huang Ju said China would work closely with related countries to contribute to the peaceful use of outer space.

China has always regarded space development as an important part of its national strategy.

Earlier this month, China successfully launched the manned spacecraft Shenzhou-6 which marked a major progress in China's space exploration.

After Bangladesh's signing the Convention, China is welcoming more Asia-Pacific nations to join the organisation and hopes the countries can take the APSCO as a platform to carry out space cooperation to make people benefit from space technology and its application.

China, Thailand and Pakistan proposed to set up the APSCO in 1992.