BEIJING (Kyodo) -- China's space authorities pledged to begin searching for extraterrestrial life and habitable planets both within and beyond the solar system in a mid- to long-term plan released Tuesday.

The China National Space Administration also said the Asian country aims to become a global leader in the field by 2050 by assembling top international scientific talent and establishing a major world science center and a hub for innovation.

China has been steadily moving ahead with its space development projects in recent years to compete with the United States, with President Xi Jinping voicing eagerness to accelerate efforts to bolster the nation's aerospace capabilities.

The administration added in the plan that China will seek to make research breakthroughs in understanding the origins of the universe, the solar system and life while focusing on the study of black holes.