The China-Thailand "Commando 2024" joint army training is currently underway in Kunming City in southwest China's Yunnan Province, featuring a series of counter-terrorism drills aimed at enhancing interoperability between the two nations' armies and bolstering regional stability.
During the training, which is scheduled for Oct 15 to 25, participants are set to engage in operational training on reconnaissance equipment, manned and unmanned coordinated combat exercises and other subjects.
On Saturday, the focus was placed on a scenario involving a hostage situation at a train station. Mixed teams from both countries launched a coordinated assault on the train compartments, successfully neutralizing threats and verifying the identities of hostages before their rescue.
"We conducted training on railway station hijacking and anti-hijacking. During the training, we studied new tactics together with our Thai counterparts. Through full discussion, the two sides had detailed and in-depth exchanges on the search skills in narrow confined spaces such as trains and relevant capture and search methods. We worked out actionable tactics for every detail of the operation. During the real-time drills, our team executed the mission independently and cohesively," said Luo Shunqi, a Chinese team member.
Participants also engaged in tactical clearing operations in simulated urban environments with varying structural layouts. Commanders from both nations analyzed and developed plans, after which mixed teams conducted coordinated searches and assaults, effectively neutralizing targets and securing evidence within the simulated buildings.
"We leveraged the comprehensive facilities at the training center to conduct various typical counter-terrorism operations such as anti-hijacking at railway stations and simulated block clearance, focusing on key elements such as the deployment of assault troops, task organization, and operational execution. Throughout the training, commanders from both sides conducted thorough analyses, while team members actively collaborated, sharing and integrating each other's counter-terrorism experiences and insights," said Jin Jianjie, another Chinese member.
China-Thailand joint army training unfolds counter-terrorism drills
China's first 500-kV cross-border alternating-current power interconnection project entered service Monday, creating the highest voltage grid tie between the two countries and advancing Belt and Road energy cooperation.
The project raises two-way power transfer capacity between the two countries from 50,000 kW to 1.5 million kW, enabling the annual transmission of about 3 billion kWh of clean electricity, roughly 30 times the capacity of previous lines, according to China Southern Power Grid.
As the largest cross-border grid project and the highest-voltage power link between China and Laos, it connects southwest China's Yunnan Province with Oudomxay and Luang Namtha provinces in northern Laos.
Cross-border electricity trading began as the project entered operation. About 4.81 million kWh of power from clean energy bases in northern Laos was transmitted to Yunnan through the new line, marking a more regular and institutionalized phase of power connectivity between the two countries.
It is also the first time an overseas new energy project has participated in China's electricity market, the company said. The power involved in the transaction came from a large mountain photovoltaic project in Laos, one of the core supporting power sources for the interconnection line.
"This project is the cross-border power grid project with the highest voltage level between China and Laos. Leveraging the China-Laos power grid interconnection and the power markets in southern China, surplus hydropower from Laos can be transmitted to China during the rainy season, while China can supply supplemental power to northern Laos during the dry season. This project represents yet another landmark achievement between China and Laos in deepening power cooperation and jointly advancing the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative," said Li Jingru, general manager of Electricite du Laos Transmission Company Limited (EDL-T), a joint venture of China Southern Power Grid and Lao state-run Electricite du Laos.
The solar project has an average annual power generation capacity of about 1.65 billion kWh. In 2026, it is expected to transmit about 1.1 billion kWh of solar power across the border, supporting energy complementarity between the two countries.
"In the future, efforts will be made to further promote normalized cross-border electricity trading, meet the trading needs such as electricity transmission from Laos to China's Yunnan, from China's Yunnan to Laos, and from Laos to China's Guangdong, and facilitate the optimal allocation of energy resources in the Lancang-Mekong region," said Li Minhong, marketing director of China Southern Power Grid.
Construction of the interconnection project began in late February last year. Spanning a total length of 177.5 km, the transmission line includes a 145-km Chinese section and a 32.5-km Lao section.
New China-Laos power link expands transfer capacity 30-fold, boosts electricity trading
