PLA Rocket Force gears up for V-Day parade

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force has been training intensively for the grand military parade in Beijing's Tian'anmen Square on September 3, to mark the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

Among the Rocket Force formation is the coach of the Rocket Force armament formation, Wang Mingxing, a name synonymous with excellence.

In 2019, he led his unit to stellar results during the training of the parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), earning top marks in military assessments.

This year, Wang is back on the training field, steering his team toward another triumphant display at the upcoming parade.

A seasoned driver of special vehicles and a missile operator, Wang vividly recalled his first time driving a missile launcher vehicle over two decades ago and said the country is sharpening its equipment over time.

"The vehicle feels long and wide, giving it an imposing presence on the road. Later, I drove and trained on two other new types of equipment. Overall, I feel that modern weaponry is becoming increasingly mobile and agile, with faster combat response and higher precision," said Wang.

During this year's parade training, Wang tackled challenges such as synchronizing different vehicle types, ensuring smoother operations, and precise alignment.

"As a coach, I feel immensely proud that our formation is about to undergo inspection by President Xi, the Party and the people, with the highest standards," said Wang.

Wang Zhongqing, a missile launcher vehicle driver, carries a legacy of valor.

Raised in a revolutionary family, his grandfather participated in the Battle of Kangjiahui during the Hundred-Regiment Campaign in 1940 against the Japanese aggressors, which annihilated over 200 enemy forces and marked the first major victory of the campaign.

Tasked with the parade, Wang initially struggled, as complex training left him off pace, with low assessment scores putting him at risk of elimination.

Undeterred, he poured extra hours into training, steadily climbing the ranks to become the lead driver of the benchmark vehicle —a role he had vowed to achieve.

"My grandfather's greatest wish back then was to come to Beijing and listen to Chairman Mao's teachings in person. Now, having the opportunity to drive the vehicle that carries our nation's vital assets to receive President Xi's review, I will renew that glory with sweat and loyalty," he said.

PLA Rocket Force gears up for V-Day parade

Chinese scientists announced Monday that they have achieved a breakthrough in yak cloning, with 10 cloned calves all naturally delivered in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.

These calves, consisting of three black yaks and seven white ones, were born from March 25 to April 5 at a yak breeding and research base in Xizang's Damxung County, all meeting expected standards and steadily gaining weight.

The mass births came after the first cloned yak was born in July 2025, which has grown healthily and weighs about 183 kg now.

The achievement was made using a domestically developed breeding system that combines whole-genome selection with somatic cell cloning, following three years of research by a Chinese scientific team.

"Whole-genome selection can accurately pinpoint excellent genetic loci associated with large body size, fast growth, strong fecundity and disease resistance, high feed conversion efficiency, and tolerance to high-altitude and low-oxygen conditions (cold resistance). On this basis, somatic cell cloning enables 1:1 precise replication of the genotype through asexual rapid propagation (cloning), thereby compressing the breeding cycle to within five years," said Fang Shengguo, a professor at the College of Life Sciences at Zhejiang University and director of the State Conservation Center for Gene Resources of Endangered Wildlife.

Yak farming is one of the key industries targeted for development in Xizang during the country's 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030). Traditional yak breeding has relied on phenotype selection, a process that can take up to 20 years and often leads to declining genetic quality.

Researchers said the new method can shorten the breeding cycle to less than five years by accurately identifying desirable genetic traits such as faster growth, disease resistance, feed efficiency and adaptation to high-altitude, low-oxygen environments, while enabling rapid replication of elite breeding stock.

Experts added that the technology could also support conservation efforts for rare yak genetic resources, including the endangered golden wild yak, whose population in Xizang is estimated at more than 300.

So far, the research team has developed more than 200 cloned embryos of golden wild yaks and hybrid wild-blood yaks, laying the groundwork for future embryo transfer and species recovery programs.

China achieves large-scale births of cloned yaks