Young professionals win medals at Belt and Road Skills Competition

Dozens of young competitors from 36 countries won medals on Wednesday after a three-day challenge at the second Belt and Road International Skills Competition in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

The three-day event attracted nearly 600 skilled professionals in fields including robotics, advanced technologies and logistics from 61 countries and regions.

Several jubilant medalists expressed their excitement in interviews with China Global Television Network (CGTN) after the award ceremony.

"I'm very excited. That's the only word I can [use to] explain right now. I've never been to any other countries except my own country Nepal. We can use drones for various purposes. Let's take some examples, we can deliver medicines where there are remote places where the vehicles can't go. They have a lot of applications, not just agriculture and [things] like that. So, drone taxis are one, food delivery is another. So, we can use drones for various purposes. We are discovering new ways to use them," said Anuj Chaudhary, champion of the unmanned aerial vehicle maintenance contest.

Russian gold medalist in electronics, Volkov Nikita Viacheslavovich, said the competition provides a platform for skills-sharing among talented young individuals.

"I want to build my own company to popularize electronics in general to make some new exhibition halls and something like that. It's very good that we are cooperating with China in these competitions. We can exchange some opinions and some knowledge about the competition and its history and I think it's very good," he said.

Highlighting the competition's benefits, Chinese logistics and freight forwarding champion Shi Qi said it fosters improved knowledge and customer care practices in the industry.

"Logistics and freight forwarding are very common in our daily life. In the competition, we combined different transportation methods, such as by sea and air, to better connect customers with consumers. In the future I want to further my knowledge in the field," Shi said.

Sponsored by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the competition aims to promote international exchange and cooperation in the field of vocational skills and to further advance the Belt and Road Initiative.

Agreements on nearly 60 cooperation programs were signed during the competition.

Young professionals win medals at Belt and Road Skills Competition

China's Shenzhou-18 crew members on the Tiangong Space Station are preparing for their second extravehicular activities (EVAs) by conducting training that includes science experiments and orbital maneuvers.

Astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu have completed one-third of their six-month mission with stable physical and operational conditions in orbit, since they aboarded the Tiangong two month ago.

During their training, the astronauts used advanced remotely control systems for rendezvous and docking operations on in-orbit training systems and metacognitive training systems, practicing skills such as recognizing images, manual docking, remote docking, and safely undocking of the spacecraft under different initial conditions.

Throughout the training, the astronauts monitored the orientation and relative distance and speed of target spacecraft on screens, practicing precise control of the speed and orientation using specialized handles.

Last week, the crew also underwent exercise-based cardiopulmonary function tests. These tests assess the cardiovascular and respiratory capabilities needed for upcoming spacewalks, using methods to simulate exercise-induced metabolic demands.

The Shenzhou-18 crew was launched into space on April 25, as the third manned mission during the application and development stage of China's space station and the 32nd flight mission of the country's manned space program overall.

The crew members completed their first spacewalk on May 28, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

China's Shenzhou-18 crew trains for 2nd spacewalk