A splendid array of state-of-the-art military equipment representing China's new-domain forces and new combat capabilities have made debut at the ongoing 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, a coastal city of south China's Guangdong Province.
The eye-catching exhibits at this biennial aerospace trade event, also known as Airshow China, show the country's latest achievements in the development of national defense and aviation industry.
China unveiled its domestically-developed new-generation stealth fighter jets J-20s and J-35A at this year's show, becoming a country with two types of active stealth warcraft.
Apart from showcasing the new fighters, China also presented breakthroughs in unmanned cooperative operations, anti-drone combats, and anti-cruise missile systems.
"What we brought to the exhibition is a kind of systematic anti-drone concept, covering radar, photoelectric and electronic reconnaissance. With the coordination between them, we can identify whether the object is a drone, where it is located, and then intercept it and strike it," said Yan Deheng, an expert in anti-drone technology.
"As the key to tear the cloak of a stealth fighter, radar occupies the core position in early warning detection. The YLC-2E [S-band long-range multi-function] radar is the first non-meter-wave anti-stealth radar, which has better accuracy so that air defense systems can respond and strike effectively," said Zheng Yi, an expert with the No.14 Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corp (CETC).
This year's Airshow China is running from Tuesday to Sunday with 1,022 companies from 47 countries and regions showcasing their star aviation and aerospace products.
Some 140 youth representatives from China's Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions also visited the event to get a close-up view of the world's most cutting-edge technologies and equipment in the fields of aviation and aerospace.
"Just now we saw the flight demonstration of J-20, and the J-35 stealth fighter jets. They performed very difficult maneuvers, which is not just about the engine, but also the aerodynamics," said Yiu Kwan Ho, a student from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
"At the airshow, I got a look at the lunar soil samples collected by the Chang'e-6 mission from the far side of the moon. I was so excited. I hope that students of Macau University of Science and Technology can be more involved in the lunar soil research program in the future," said Ng Wai Kei, a Macao student.
Equipment representing China’s new combat capabilities highlighted at Zhuhai airshow
China, with numerous successes in combating desertification and dune fixation, has been sharing its experience with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
As a party to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), China has in 2019 achieved the UN goal of zero growth of land degradation by 2030 ahead of schedule.
The country has set up the China-Arab and the China-Mongolia desertification control centers and established overseas demonstration bases and cooperation centers for sand control to provide technical support for related countries.
China has also engaged in multilateral policy-making dialogues, information sharing and collaboration with South Korea, Mongolia, and Russia to jointly push forward desertification prevention, land degradation control, and drought response in northeast Asia, and forged the Kubuqi International Desert Forum into a platform with international influence.
"China's experience in combating desertification is very suitable for countries participating in the Belt and Road cooperation, especially those in Africa and Central Asia. For instance, the straw checkerboard technique, a dune fixation technique in which straw is placed on the desert surface in the shape of a checkerboard, is called 'the magical China square'. Such a technique is easy to apply, good in effect, and quick in results. The chosen plants with high stress resistance, coupled with water-saving irrigation technologies, have all been greatly promoted in many countries in Central Asia and Africa," said Wu Bo, director of the Institute of Desertification Studies of the Chinese Academy of Forestry.
In Ethiopia, researchers from Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences created a 200-hectare base for rotational grazing and bushland conservation to help in sustainable land use and combating desertification.
In Mauritania, Chinese researchers created a "green park" that covers about 2.67 hectares to address local needs for desertification prevention and sustainable livelihood development.
The park includes carefully-selected windbreak and sand-fixation materials, as well as over ten types of suitable plants and products adapted to local environmental conditions. The project can benefit the local community through the cultivation of fruit trees and vegetables, and promotes the integration of the Chinese way to prevent desertification and the technology of "Green Great Wall" .
"We hope our feasible experience and methods, such as the Shapotou anti-desertification technique to protect railways, the Dengkou dune fixation way, and the Kekeya way, can be promoted in other countries through exchanges," said Wu.
The UNCCD was adopted in 1994 to assist countries and regions affected by severe drought or desertification, with a total of 197 parties. In 2015, the United Nations incorporated desertification control into the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, proposing to achieve the goal of zero growth of land degradation by 2030, forming a global consensus on combating desertification.
China' experience in desert control helps green BRI participating countries
