The main antenna of China's 40-meter-aperture radio telescope was hoisted and installed on Friday in Shigatse, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.
Developed by the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the basic construction of the fully movable, high-precision, multi-purpose telescope is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024, with an initial observation capability in early 2025.
The radio telescope is built about 35 kilometers to the west of Shigatse's city center, at an altitude of about 4,100 meters where electromagnetic wave interference is limited.
Upon completion of the construction, the telescope will be included into a very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) network in China that is comprised of radio telescope stations located across the country and a VLBI data processing center under the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory to help support the country's deep-space exploration.
VLBI is a technique that measures the time difference between the arrivals at multiple Earth-based antennas, thus simulating a virtual telescope with a size equal to the maximum separation between the telescopes. The VLBI network will link radio telescopes scattered across the country to form a giant hyper high-precision synthesis aperture radio telescope, offering technical support for lunar and planetary exploration, and manned lunar landing missions for China in the future.
Main antenna reflector of radio telescope in Xizang installed
As China's 15th Five-Year Plan enters its inaugural year, Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, a re-elected Hong Kong deputy in the National People's Congress, said he hopes Hong Kong can better integrate into and contribute to the nation's overall development.
That involves ensuring Hong Kong's voice is heard in the development of national strategies, while effectively communicating the central government's vision to the people of Hong Kong, Fok said.
This year, Fok brought nine proposals to the ongoing 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, covering different areas including sports, culture, aviation and consumption.
"I'm always very concerned about sports and culture. This is where really my heart lies. But I think as a deputy I should also have a much broader [vision], not just concentrate on one specific area. So, of course, I mentioned about sports and also Greater Bay Area sports. But another issue, maybe first time I brought it to the table, is about our aviation hub. How do we keep up with the race with all the regional hubs also rising at the same time? This is our core strategy, core competence in Hong Kong and how do we make it better," Fok said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) released on Saturday.
In the 2026 Government Work Report delivered by Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the opening session of the 14th NPC on Thursday, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is encouraged to build itself into a world-class city cluster.
The report also pledged to develop the Greater Bay Area into an international center for scientific and technological innovation.
"I also think about the national objectives, what are the important milestones we are trying to hit in the next five years, next 10 years. China has been doing so well and it's such a great exporter to the world as a part of the world village. But we need to strengthen ourselves by increasing consumption. Actually, consumption should be the core of our engine. We should enable our own population to be able to consume more to boost the economy," he said.
China's NPC deputy discusses how HK can better integrate into country’s overall development
