BEIJING -- China will further optimize its meteorological observation and forecasting operations in the coming years, raising its meteorological capabilities to the most advanced global standards by 2035, an official said Tuesday.

Advances in meteorology over the 2016-2020 period have seen the number of people killed or missing in weather-related disasters fall to less than 800 per year on average from around 1,300 per year during the 2011-2015 period, Zhuang Guotai, head of the China Meteorological Administration, said at a national meteorological conference.

China raised its level of meteorological modernization during the period by setting up an integrated observation system co

nsisting of around 70,000 ground observation stations, 216 radars and seven satellites. The system covers all county-level regions of the country.

During the 2016-2020 period, steady progress was made on meteorological forecasting and informatization, with new technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data and artificial intelligence widely adopted.

This year, China will start research and development on next-generation weather radars and smart ground observation stations, upgrade warning systems for floods, geological disasters and typhoons, and explore customized online meteorological services, Zhuang said.