The ongoing Sharp Blade-2025 International Sniper Competition, which opened Tuesday in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, not only offers participants from various countries an opportunity to exchange military skills, but also fosters friendship and deepens bonds among them.
Hosted by China's People's Armed Police Force, the competition features events such as precision sniping, typical scenario sniping, comprehensive combat sniping, and extreme scenario sniping.
Nearly 50 sniper teams from over 20 countries are participating, marking the highest number of nations to have participated in the event's history.
Cuban translator Rojas Guzman, known to her Chinese friends as Luo Meihua, expressed a deep sense of familiarity and comfort during her time in China.
"I see many old friends, and everything feels familiar. Although I have never been to this training center before, it feels like home. I feel very comfortable here," said Guzman.
Guzman, who speaks fluent Chinese, explained how she came by her Chinese name.
"My original surname sounds similar to 'Luo' in Chinese, and my friend thought I was both beautiful and talented, so she named me Meihua. 'Hua' means the Chinese nation, which she felt suited me well," said Guzman.
Guzman first came to China in 2015 to study at the National University of Defense Technology in the central Chinese city of Changsha, and she returned to Cuba after graduating in 2019.
Since then, she has made multiple return visits to China. This time, she traveled for over 20 hours with the leader and four other members of the Cuban team to participate in the sniper competition in Xinjiang.
For Guzman, the experience has been both professionally enriching and personally fulfilling.
"I feel that I can learn a lot in China, and there are many common points for us to learn from each other. I think this is the greatest significance of my work -- serving as a bridge for communication and exchange between our two countries, which is also the main goal of our work as translators," said Guzman.
This is her first time providing translation support for a sniper-related military event, and she has gained valuable knowledge over the past few days.
"I have learned many professional terms, including those for targets, sniper rifles, and their components -- how to adjust, zero, and calibrate them -- words I didn't know before. Now I can understand and grasp them. It's not just about terminology, but also the operational knowledge behind it, which is quite complex," said Guzman.
The spirit of cooperation and mutual learning was also evident among other participants, including team members from Vietnam.
Two Vietnamese snipers collaborated closely with their Chinese counterparts to review training methods for typical scenario sniping, with plans to bring the skills gained back to Vietnam.
"I feel that today's results are quite good, and this competition is very professionally organized, with excellent logistics and reception services. Through this competition, we learn more skills from our Chinese counterparts as well as from participants from other countries," said a Vietnamese sniper.
Int'l Sniper Competition fosters exchanges, strengthens bonds among participants
