Long before the industrial age, four Chinese inventions reshaped the world’s future. Papermaking, gunpowder, printing, and the compass laid the foundation for global transformation.

Meanwhile, he says, China will expand the Compass system into a global network, requiring at least 30 satellites, by 2020. Currently, the accuracy of the Compass is not as reliable as the GPS system.

On February 3, China successfully put a test "Compass" satellite into orbit, the fourth of such experimental satellites launched since 2000.

XICHANG, Sichuan Province -- China on early Saturday morning launched a navigation satellite, part of the country's "Compass" navigational system, which is expected to provide services to ...