China needs its own law to protect its rights in outer space as well as regulate its domestic space activities, a top official has said.

"China is among the very few countries that are active in space exercises but lack a space law," said Hu Hao, deputy commander-in-chief of the lunar exploration centre under the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry of National Defence.

Hu, also a deputy to parliament, the National People's Congress, said this during the ongoing annual legislative session, Xinhua reported.

He said the law should involve the regulation of the commercialisation of satellite remote sensing data services, because some service providers, including Google Earth, have exposed sensitive information on the internet, causing widespread concern.

A space law would help solve legal issues amid China's increasing space cooperation with other countries, he said.

Source: Indo-Asia News Service