The Chinese and Russian armies conducted a joint strategic air patrol over the Sea of Japan on Friday, according to China's Ministry of National Defense.
The strategic air patrol, the ninth of its kind since 2019, was carried out as part of the two sides' annual cooperation plan, aiming to effectively test and enhance the joint training and operational capabilities of the air forces of both countries, the ministry said in a statement.
China, Russia conduct joint strategic air patrol over Sea of Japan
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs' Deputy Director Driss El Hadani highlighted the need for more international cooperation and building capacities for space activities, while attending a Thursday conference commemorating the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Regional Center for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific (China), affiliated to the United Nations.
Delegates from 14 countries attended the event in Hangzhou, capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province.
The center in Hangzhou is the sixth center to be established under the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. As of September 2024, the center had cultivated 395 master's and doctoral students from 33 countries, and had conducted more than 30 short-term training courses -- training over 2,000 participants from more than 70 countries. Originally inaugurated at Beihang University in Beijing in 2014, it relocated to Hangzhou earlier this year.
"From our discussions this morning and the seminar this afternoon, it is clear that the regional centers have a very important role in terms of capacity building indication. The center was created with the aim to offer the opportunity to developing countries to benefit and to contribute to space activities. The regional center in China and especially the one in Hangzhou, I think is offering a new opportunity to all member states to contribute to the lunar program. And there is a large place for this center to contribute to the capacity building and to bridge the gap between the spacefaring nations and the emerging nations in terms of space activities and especially for lunar activities," said Driss El Hadani.
As part of the celebrations, international delegates toured the center and its laboratories. They explored how the center is advancing space research and fostering international cooperation in areas like satellite technology, remote sensing and lunar space station.
UN official highlights cooperation, capacity building for space, lunar activities
