The 2024 China Aviation Industry Conference and Nanchang Air Show kicked off on Saturday in Nanchang City, located in east China's Jiangxi Province, featuring fabulous aerobatic performances from nine teams representing four countries, including China, France, Russia, and the United States.
The three-day event at Yaohu Airport combines aerial display performances with industry exhibitions and is expected to attract over 300 aviation experts and entrepreneurs.
The Red Eagle Aerobatic Team from the Aviation University of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force headlined the opening day with a display featuring K-8 jet trainers, creating colorful smoke trails across the clear skies and drawing cheers from spectators.
"This is the third time we have been invited to participate in the Nanchang Air Show. Compared to previous years, we've designed three sets of performance plans and added several large formation hovering displays to enhance the experience," said Zhang Li, a pilot with the Red Eagle Aerobatic Team.
A highlight of this year's show is the aerospace exhibition, which features models from China's space program, including the Chang'e-6 lunar probe and the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft. Visitors can examine actual rocket engine remnants and experience Mars or deep Moon travel through virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) simulators.
Static aircraft displays and flight demonstrations will continue throughout the event, showcasing both civilian and military aviation capabilities.
2024 China Aviation Industry Conference kicks off in Nanchang
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
