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TIANJIN -- The Long March-5 rocket, China's largest carrier rocket is scheduled to make its maiden flight later this year and departed northern China's Tianjin Port for the launch base in southern Hainan Friday.

Carried by two special rocket-carrying ships, Yuanwang-21 and Yuanwang-22, the Long March-5 will arrive at Qinglan Port in Wenchang, Hainan Province, after a seven-day journey.

As the country's strongest carrier rocket, the Long March-5 has a payload capacity of 25 tonnes in low Earth orbit and 14 tonnes in geostationary orbit.

The rocket is planned to carry the Chang'e-5 lunar probe in 2017 and will be used to launch China's space station modules and Mars probes.

"The Long March-5 represents a landmark in the country's carrier rocket upgrading and has expanded the diameter of liquid-fuel rockets to 5 meters from 3.35 meters, and will improve space entering capabilities by 2.5 times," said Wu Yanhua, vice head of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence.

Instead of highly toxic propellants, the rocket uses liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen and lox kerosene as fuel, making it more environmentally friendly. Its engines can produce a thrust of more than 1,000 tonnes when taking off.

It has taken researchers 16 years to develop the rocket after nearly 7,000 tests. It was developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

Completed in 2014, the Wenchang launch site is the fourth of its kind in China. Being the closest site to the equator, Wenchang boasts considerable latitudinal advantages. Satellites launched nearer the equator have a longer service life as they have a shorter journey to make it into geostationary orbit and save fuel accordingly.

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Long March-5 carrier rocket is lifted into a container at North China's Tianjin Port on August 18, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

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Long March-5 carrier rocket is loaded onto the Yuan Wang-22 cargo ship at North China's Tianjin Port, on August 25, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

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The finals of Third Ordos International Nadam Fair horse race are held in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Aug. 26. Competitors from across Inner Mongolia took part in the final match. [Photo by Mi Xingang/China.org.cn]

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and other senior leaders Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli meet with Chinese Olympic delegation at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 25, 2016. China swept 26 gold, 18 silver and 26 bronze medals at Rio, ranking among the top three on the medal or gold medal tally. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

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A railway worker gets on the first Central Asia cargo train in Nantong, east China's Jiangsu Province, Aug. 25, 2016. The cargo train left Nantong on Thursday for Afghanistan's Hairatan, marking the start of Central Asia freight train service. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)

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Customs staff workers pass by the first Central Asia cargo train before it leaves Nantong, east China's Jiangsu Province, Aug. 25, 2016.

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A working staff shows a sculpture made of salt at a health shop in Salt Lake in Yuncheng, north China's Shanxi Province, Aug. 25, 2016. Salt Lake of Yuncheng, world-famous inland salt lake known as "Dead Sea of China", restarted its production of salt recently, which is mainly used for making sculptures, lights and bath salt. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)

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Workers collect salt at a salt producing base in Salt Lake in Yuncheng, north China's Shanxi Province, Aug. 25, 2016.

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L2SG said:

For some reason, I feel very uncomfortable evertime I see this. >.>

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Police in Guizhou, Hunan and Guangdong have cracked a massive telecom scam, involving 10 fraud dens and 150 suspects. The fraudsters deceived thousands of people into buying fake iPhones at 699 yuan ($105), according to the police. (Photo/IC)

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Staff members of Chinese Embassy in Italy talk with teachers of Sarnano language school in the quake-stricken town of Sarnano, Italy, Aug. 25, 2016. Staff members of Chinese Embassy in Italy visited the over 100 Chinese students studying in Sarnano on Thursday. At least 250 people died, and thousands were displaced in Italy, after a major earthquake that struck the central Lazio and Marche regions on early Wednesday, the authorities confirmed on Thursday. (Xinhua/Luo Na)

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Models pose for photos during the 5th Shenyang Faku International Flight Conference in Shenyang, capital city of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Aug. 27, 2016. (Xinhua/Yao Jianfeng)

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Zhang Xueying, freshman of The Central Academy of Drama is interviewed when she registered on the first day of school, Beijing, Aug 26. Zhang became an actress when she was six. [Photo/IC]

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Zhang poses with her parents in her dorm. [Photo/CFP]

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A cook uses a broadsword to make noodles at the 1st Shanxi cooked wheaten food festival in Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province, Aug. 26, 2016. The food festival kicked off here Friday. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)

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Visitors have a taste of newly-cooked sliced noodles at the 1st Shanxi cooked wheaten food festival in Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province, Aug. 26, 2016. The food festival kicked off here Friday. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)

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A staff member introduces a robot designed for children at the 2016 Chinese Congress on Artificial Intelligence (CCAI 2016) in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 26, 2016. The two-day CCAI 2016 kicked off here Friday. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Tan Tieniu, a top expert in China's artificial intelligence (AI) sector, on Friday suggested creating a plan to guide the country's AI research and development in the next decade or longer.

China should independently develop an AI innovation system, with a focus on core technology, high-end equipment and applications, basic theories and facilities in the AI sector, said Tan, vice president of the Chinese Association for Artificial Intelligence.

By doing so, China could have a world-leading AI industry by 2025, said Tan, also vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, at the two-day 2016 China Conference on Artificial Intelligence (CCAI 2016), which will conclude on Saturday.

In 2015, the global AI market stood at 127 billion U.S. dollars, Tan said, adding the figure is predicted to reach 165 billion dollars this year and to exceed 200 billion dollars in 2018.

The CCAI 2016, sponsored by the Chinese Association for Artificial Intelligence, aims to better direct and promote the research and application of artificial intelligence in China.

Top experts, scholars and industry professionals in China's AI sector have gathered to discuss man-machine interaction, machine learning, pattern recognition, industry practice, and other topics.

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