BEIJING -- China will launch 11 meteorological satellites before 2020 to boost the country's weather monitoring network, according to the country's meteorological satellite development plan (2011-2020) released on Wednesday.

The country will invest a total of 21.7 billion yuan ($3.44 billion) in the sector, including research on new-generation meteorological satellites and the building of ground application systems for meteorological satellites, said Yang Jun, director of the National Satellite Meteorological Center.

China has launched 12 meteorological satellites since 1988, with seven remaining in orbit.