Hyderabad
, India —


Indian and Chinese officials agree that partnerships will be




key to survival




in the coming years as more nations begin




competing in the global commercial space market.

“There will definitely be competition depending on the market positioning, but there will also be cooperation,” HuaChangzhi, vice president of China Great Wall Corp.




, the Chinese launch services firm, told the delegates attending the 58th International Astronautical Congress here.



Chinese and Indian officials were participating in a panel discussion about the rising role of emerging nations in the global marketplace for commercial space systems.

“The emerging nations will face competition but not fear partnership,” Hua said.




He




predicted that in the coming years countries




will learn new ways to do business through cooperation despite business competition.





K.R. Sridharamurthi, executive director of Antrix, India’s state-owned commercial space company, said: “There is also [a] very good possibility [of] joint ventures between emerging players and established nations.”

Sridharamurthi
said satellite-delivered television broadcasting, mobile telephony and high-speed Internet services are all areas where there will be benefits from international collaboration and partnerships. “There is a place for every player,” he said, adding that customers will welcome competition as they are the ones who will benefit.



Indian and Chinese officials also




agreed that U.S. regulations and export control laws, particularly the International Traffic in Arms (ITAR) regulations are hurting the growth of their respective space




industries.

“Among all hurdles, for India, ITAR is the most difficult to contend with,” said Sridharamurthi. He said the rules prevent India from launching a foreign satellite if it contains




U.S. components. Hua said




ITAR also is hurting




China Great Wall Corp.’s




commercial launch business.

While an ITAR-free regime is ideal for their business, emerging nations must learn to operate within the constraints of the U.S. regulations, Joel Chenet, senior vice president of Thales




Alenia
Space of Cannes,




France,









told the delegates to the International Astronautical Congress




.

“In the long run ITAR is going to be destructive of U.S. industry,” said Ray Williamson, another panelist and a research professor at




George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute in Washington. “I do not see major change in ITAR for the next five or




10 years,” he




added.

China’s Hua said he is optimistic about the potential for partnerships




with India. “In 1997




we offered India our remote sensing data for earthquake prediction,” he said. “As two big emerging players we have to cooperate.”

Addressing a press conference Sept. 27,




Madhavan
Nair, chief of the Indian Space Research Organ




isation




, said the Chinese are using remote sensing data from Indian satellites under a commercial deal. He said greater collaboration is




in the cards but was not sure in what form this will emerge.