China, Russia complete first stage of joint military exercise

The naval and air forces from China and Russia on Sunday completed the first stage of their joint military drills code-named "Northern/Interaction-2024".

According to a statement announced by China's Ministry of National Defense on Monday, the drills aimed to deepen strategic cooperation between the two sides and strengthen their ability to respond to security threats.

During the five-day exercises, the naval and air forces from both sides completed multi-subject tasks in the waters and airspace of the Sea of Japan to test the tactical command coordination and joint operation capabilities of the two sides.

Ship-to-sea firing was launched right after the fleets reached the designated waters. According to the information sent by the air forces, the maritime joint operation group locked on to the enemy ships quickly and conducted simulated missile attacks.

Sailors used radars and photoelectricity to constantly update information about aerial targets.

Chinese guided-missile destroyer Wuxi and Russian corvette Sovershennyy fired one after another, and they both hit the targets.

"High intensity and fast pace are the prominent features of the drills, which required us to better demonstrate our continuous combat capability. Especially in anti-aircraft firing by secondary guns, the lead ship fired and hit the target instantly in the fleeting combat window. This has fully demonstrated our ability and training level," said Song Qinglong, a Chinese sailor.

As night fell, under the command of the Chinese side, the joint maritime taskforce conducted ship-to-sea firing by main guns. After Chinese guided-missile destroyer Xining took the firing position, sailors at the main firing potion carried out attacks according to the instruction and destroyed the targets successfully.

"In the drills, we applied real battlefield environment to conduct exercises on subjects such as ship-to-sea firing by main guns and anchorage ground defense at night, and effectively dealt with all kinds of emergencies in the darkness of night. We achieved the desired effect through the drills," said Dong Kai, another Chinese sailor.

China, Russia complete first stage of joint military exercise

China, Russia complete first stage of joint military exercise

China, Russia complete first stage of joint military exercise

China's total import and export volume of trade in sports services reached 52.89 billion yuan (about 7.45 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023, said the State General Administration of Sport on Wednesday.

At a press conference in Beijing, Zhou Jinqiang, deputy director of the State General Administration of Sport, briefed on the achievements scored by China since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012.

China's sports sector has achieved high-quality development, with a widespread trend of fitness among the public, remarkable achievements in competitive sports, vibrant youth sports activities, and rapid growth in the sports industry, Zhou said, adding these advancements have contributed to building China into a leading sports nation.

"Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the total scale and added value of China's sports industry have significantly increased, with growth rates surpassing those of GDP during the same period. The proportion of the sports industry in the country's GDP has also continued to rise steadily," said Zhou.

"From 2012 to 2022, the annual average growth rate of the added value of the sports industry reached 15.4 percent, with its share of the domestic GDP increasing from 0.60 percent to 1.08 percent. In 2023, China's total import and export volume of trade in sports services stood at 52.89 billion yuan, marking a 178 percent increase compared to the previous year. At present, China has essentially forged a sports industry system that is led by competitive performances and fitness leisure, with the joint development of sports venue services, sports training, sports manufacturing, and sports media," said Zhou.

China's total trade in sports services reaches 52.89 bln yuan in 2023: official