Robot dog highlighted at China-Cambodia joint military exercise

Intelligent equipment such as robot dog and drones are in spotlight at the ongoing China-Cambodia "Golden Dragon 2024" joint military exercise.

The "Golden Dragon" series of joint exercises is an annual routine military cooperation activity between the two countries. It aims to consolidate and develop the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between China and Cambodia, increase political mutual trust, and expand military exchanges.

During a recent exercise, robot dogs were used to investigate the simulated battlefield. It can transmit information about on-site obstacles such as wire fences, discarded tires, and tire spikes.

"This robot dog weighs 15 kilograms and is equipped with a 4D wide-angle perception system. During our missions, it can provide real-time transmission of reconnaissance footage to the command posts," said Chinese soldier Yang Shengzhi.

With batteries and a power system in its abdomen, the robot dog can operate two to four hours. It is capable of performing various actions such as moving forward, lying down, jumping, and moving backward. Moreover, it can plan routes and avoid obstacles by itself, and approach targets during reconnaissance missions.

Another robot dog weighing about 50 kilograms was equipped with a rifle and was capable of advancing swiftly under the control of an operator.

"It can serve as a new member in our urban combat operations, replacing our members to conduct reconnaissance and identify enemy and strike the target during our training," said Chen Wei, another Chinese soldier.

In addition to robot dogs, a variety of intelligent unmanned equipment, such as cargo drones and reconnaissance drones, were used during the exercise, which has enhanced the overall combat capabilities of the soldiers.

The joint military exercise is held from May 16th to 30th in Cambodia. It marks the sixth exercise of the "Golden Dragon" series, with more than 2,000 soldiers participating from both countries.

Robot dog highlighted at China-Cambodia joint military exercise

China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, was up 0.3 percent year on year in May, and it is expected to continue growing moderately in the future based on the price trend, according to officials on Monday.

At a press conference in Beijing, officials from the National Bureau of Statistics briefed the situation of CPI in May and gave the prediction over its trend in the future.

Liu Aihua, a spokeswoman of the National Bureau of Statistics, said that the consumer price in May had three characteristics.

First, it kept flat in the year-on-year increase.

"In May, CPI rose 0.3 percent from a year earlier, staying flat from the previous month. Of which, food prices fell by 2 percent year on year, with the decline 0.7 percentage points narrower than the previous month, while non-food prices increased 0.8 percent, 0.1 percentage points lower than April. Service price grow by 0.8 percent, the same as the previous month," said Liu.

Second, the consumer price showed a slight seasonal decline from the previous month. On a monthly basis, the CPI inched down 0.1 percent in May. The decrease was smaller than the 0.2-percent drop on average in the same period of the last 10 years.

Third, the core CPI rose moderately. In May, the core CPI apart from food and energy was up 0.6 percent year on year, keeping a moderate upward trend.

"Regarding the trend of CPI in the future, based on the current price trend of food, manufactured consumer goods and services, CPI will continue to rise moderately. For food, as a large number of seasonal fruits and vegetables being put on market, food price will remain at a seasonal low. In terms of manufactured consumer goods, its total supply is sufficient, which is conducive to the stability of prices. As for service, its price is expected to continue rebounding as demand for services further recovers," Liu said.

China's CPI expected to continue growing moderately in future: official