BEIJING - China will launch 12 meteorological satellites before 2020 to further boost the country's weather monitoring capabilities, a senior meteorological official said Saturday.

The orbiters are among 14 meteorological satellites that are scheduled to be launched as part of a 10-year plan created by the China Meteorological Administration, said Zheng Guoguang, director of the administration.

"The launch of these satellites will dramatically boost China's weather monitoring capabilities, providing better services for a variety of industries," Zheng, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top political advisory body, said ahead of the body's upcoming annual session.

On January 13, China successfully launched meteorological satellite Fengyun-II 07 from its southwestern Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

The Fengyun-II 07 is the 13th meteorological satellite launched by China since 1988, bringing its total number of meteorological satellites to seven. With improvements based on previously-launched satellites, the Fengyun-II 07 is particularly useful for monitoring emergent natural disasters, Zheng said.

He also disclosed that China will launch its third Fengyun-III satellite at the end of this year or early 2013.