A search and rescue team has carried out training at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to prepare for the return of the Shenzhou-18 taikonauts on Monday.
Consisting of militias, veterans, local farmers, and herdsmen, the team has honed their skills to ensure they are fully prepared for search and rescue operations.
"We have conducted training in various landscapes and conditions, including darkness, low temperatures, strong winds, and sandstorms, to prepare each rescue team member for their specific roles and to complete the search and rescue mission on the day of the Shenzhou-18 crew’s return, under any conditions or at any time, "said Yang Sitao from the People's Armed Forces Department of Ejina Banner, Alxa League, in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Zhao Haihong, also from the People’s Armed Forces Department in Ejina Banner, highlighted the expanded capabilities of the search and rescue team for the mission.
"In addition to the regular emergency response division, new divisions of the search and rescue team, including the drone division, off-road vehicle division, and motorcycle division, have participated in the mission. We have deployed all team members to their designated positions and are confident about this mission," said Zhao.
With its vast lands and sparse population, Ejina Banner in Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, has become one of China's primary sites for spacecraft launches and landings.
Over the years, search and rescue teams have been established to support spacecraft launches and astronaut returns, assisting with capsule recovery, roadblocks and traffic control, electromagnetic spectrum management, and perimeter security.
Search and rescue team in Inner Mongolia conducts training for Shenzhou-18 crew's return
The China-Laos Railway has facilitated travel and the movement of goods along its route over the past three years.
The 1,035-kilometer railway, a flagship project within the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, connects China's southwestern city of Kunming with the Laotian capital of Vientiane.
Starting operation on Dec 3, 2021, it links the new western land-sea corridor and the China-Europe international railway network, extending its cross-border cargo transportation services to 19 countries and regions, including Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Over the past three years, the railway has transported more than 43 million passengers and 48 million tons of cargo, marking a surge of both passenger and cargo transport.
Feng Zhuoliang, a banana trader from Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, has benefited from the railway. His company buys approximately 1,000 tons of bananas each month from Mohan, a border town in Yunnan Province.
"I arrived yesterday afternoon. Since then, I've ordered two trucks of goods. My plan today is to purchase around three trucks more," said Feng.
Compared with the road transport, the China-Laos Railway can reduce transportation by three to four days, and lower losses caused from the handling of goods during border transits, Feng said.
The China-Laos Railway has also cut freight costs by 30 percent to 50 percent for shipment between Kunming and Thailand, and by 20 percent to 40 percent for transport within Laos.
In the last three years, the railway served 31 provinces, regions, and municipalities in China and 19 other countries and regions, including Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore.
In terms of the passenger transport, the daily trains on the China-Laos Railway's domestic section have risen from eight to a peak of 86, and on the international section from four to 16. Monthly passenger numbers have grown from over 600,000 to more than 1.6 million.
"The railway has significantly facilitated the travel for people along the route. We have added extra trains during weekends and holidays," said Dai Rui, a conductor of the Kunming Passenger Transport Section of China Railway Kunming Group.
China-Laos Railway enhances cross-border trade, travel
