The equipment provided by the MEE to Uruguay in a bid to help strengthen the country’s capability to address climate change is displayed at the Beijing-based China Academy of Space Technology on Wednesday. The equipment will be shipped in October. Photo: Lu Yameng/GT

A set of transportable meteorological ground equipment will be provided by the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) to Uruguay, in a bid to help strengthen the country’s capability to address climate change. The move was announced on Wednesday, and the equipment will be shipped to Uruguay in October.

The equipment consists of an antenna vehicle, shelter vehicle and power station trailer, said Xu Meng, director of the international business department under the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).

The system can receive, process, store and apply meteorological data received from satellites to monitor domestic climate change, vegetation variation and disaster information, Xu said, adding that the shipment is part of China’s cooperation with Uruguay under the framework of South-South Cooperation on Climate Change.

Xu said the system can provide 17 standard meteorological products and seven types of thematic products, obtaining regional meteorological information for disaster prevention and mitigation, as well as monitoring the ecological environment and climate change.

“This is a successful example of South-South cooperation on climate change around the globe, and is of great significance for further deepening the cooperation,” said Zhao Yingmin, vice minister of the MEE.

The active attempts made by China and Uruguay to deepen scientific and technological exchanges in the fields of climate change and space applications have laid a solid foundation for further cooperation in science and technology between the two countries, Zhao said.

“With this project, which is entering its final stages today, Uruguay will finally have its own mobile system which can receive and process integrated satellite meteorological data throughout its territory,” said Fernando Lugris, Uruguay’s Ambassador to China, at an event to celebrate the cooperation.

China and Uruguay signed a memorandum of understanding in December 2019, in which China promised to provide meteorological equipment. The project was officially launched in February, 2020, and a joint trial was completed in September this year.


China has kept helping developing countries to enhance their capacity to cope with climate change in recent years, including implementation of climate change mitigation projects and building low-carbon demonstration zones, Zhao said.

China has signed 40 cooperation documents on climate change with 35 developing countries and held 45 training sessions about South-South cooperation on climate change, as well as offering training to more than 2,000 people from over 120 countries, Zhao said.