The Beidou Navigation System will enable military and civilian users from China to find their way anywhere in the world, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a senior space technology official.

'The system will shake off the dependence on foreign systems,' said Mr Zhang Xiaojin, director of astronautics at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

To this end, China aims to launch 30 more space satellites by the middle of the next decade, to add to the five satellites already in orbit, according to the agency. Ten satellites will be launched this year and the next, it said on Monday.

The five-satellite system in place so far provides only regional navigation services within China's own territory, Xinhua said.

The Beidou Navigation System is seen as a rival not just of the GPS, but also of the European Union's Galileo Positioning System and Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System.

Observers have said that behind the battle for control of navigation technology is a fear that the United States could use its monopoly - the system was developed and is controlled by the US military - to switch off signals in times of crisis.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE