China's Y-20 large transport aircraft debuts at Africa's largest airshow

A Y-20 large transport aricraft from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force on Wednesday made its debut at the 2024 Africa Aerospace and Defence Exhibition (AAD-2024) at Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa.

This marked the first time the Y-20 has flown to South Africa, with plans for both static and dynamic displays during the event.

Running until Sunday, the 12th edition of the AAD features cutting-edge innovations in aviation, aerospace, and defense.

Segomotso Tire, chairperson of the AAD Executive Committee, emphasized that the exhibition offers a key platform for industry players to present their technological breakthroughs and engage in meaningful dialogue.

The Y-20 transport plane, invited to participate in the airshow, is on static display from Wednesday to Friday, followed by dynamic demonstrations over the weekend.

"This participation in AAD-2024 is the first time that our Y-20 team has flown to South Africa. In the process of preparing for this air show, we had carefully designed the flight procedures in combination with the flight environment and the position of the viewing platform at Waterkloof Air Force Base, and striven to achieve precision and perfection in every move. We aim to fully demonstrate the excellent tactical maneuvering performance of the Y-20 transport aircraft, and showcase China's advanced aviation weapons and equipment, as well as the fine image of the Chinese soldiers," said Liang Yao, captain of the PLA Air Force's Y-20.

In the static display area, the Y-20 stands proudly alongside dozens of fighter planes from various countries, with its red star-adorned tail catching the eye of many spectators. Members of the Chinese community in South Africa, upon learning of the Y-20's arrival, gathered at the air show venue to take commemorative photos with the national asset and the Chinese national flag.

During the air show, the Y-20 is expected to share the skies with multinational flight demonstration teams, showcasing its impressive aerial capabilities through a variety of stunts and maneuvers.

Alongside the Chinese presence, the AAD-2024 also featured participants from Botswana, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, India, Russia, Armenia, and Albania, highlighting the latest advances in technology, goods and services from the international defense industry.

China's Y-20 large transport aircraft debuts at Africa's largest airshow

China's 5G user penetration rate surged from 15 percent to 83.9 percent during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), an official from the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission said on Thursday.

Wen Ruisong, head of the Informatization Development Bureau under the office, said that over the past five years, China has accelerated the construction of intelligent and integrated information infrastructure, establishing the world's largest and most technologically advanced fiber-optic broadband and mobile communication network.

"During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China's 5G user penetration rate rose from 15 percent to 83.9 percent, gigabit broadband users increased from 6.4 million to 239 million, and mobile Internet of Things users expanded from 1.136 billion to 2.9 billion. This progress marks a clear acceleration in the shift from 'internet of everything' toward 'intelligent connection of everything," said Wen.

According to Wen, China's network infrastructure has been continuously enhanced, with the number of active IPv6 users growing from 462 million to 868 million over the five years.

Meanwhile, the quality and scale of China's computing infrastructure have also seen significant improvement.

China now operates 12.5 million standard racks in active computing power centers, with intelligent computing capacity reaching 1,053 EFLOPS, Wen said.

China's 5G user penetration rate surges to 83.9 pct