Chinese army regulates sat nav use

BEIJING - The Chinese army on Thursday issued regulations covering how satellite navigation systems are applied in combat.

The new rule issued by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Staff Headquarters will take effect on June 1, the PLA said in a statement.

The regulation stipulates procedures for sourcing satellite navigation systems as well as their safety management and how they should be used, it said.

The General Staff Headquarters said the regulation has provided policy support for management of the systems and will play a vital role in boosting their application to military missions.

China's homegrown BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) began providing positioning, navigation, timing and short message services to civilian users in China and surrounding areas in the Asia-Pacific region in December 2012.

China launched the first BDS satellite in 2000. Prior to the official launch of the system a year ago, a preliminary version was used in traffic control, weather forecasting and disaster relief from 2003.