The official newspaper of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Science and Technology Daily, quoted Bao Weimin, Director of the Science and Technology Commission of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), as saying China is considering the development of an economy outside of the Earth’s perimeter and is planning to establish an Earth-Moon economic zone by 2050. Experts predict that China’s annual output in the zone may reach US$10 trillion. Bao Weimin said that the development of the space economic zone will not only bring about huge economic benefits, but it will change the current socio-economic model. CASC is the main state-owned contractor for the Chinese space program. Bao Weimin added that China should develop a reliable and low-cost space transportation system between the Earth and the Moon. According to its plan, China will accomplish the basic technology development by 2030 and the manufacture of key transportation technologies by 2040. By the middle of this century, China may successfully establish a space economic zone.
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