China's AS700 manned airship completes maiden low-altitude flight in plateau region

China's homegrown AS700 manned airship successfully completed its first flight over southwest China's Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, comprehensively verifying the airship's stability and safety in low-altitude flight environments over plateau areas, said the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country's leading plane maker, on Monday.

The airship flew at an altitude of 1,200 meters over the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. It boasts a maximum range of 700 kilometers and a maximum endurance of 10 hours. Leveraging its unique thrust vector control technology, it can achieve short takeoff and landing, and vertical takeoff and landing in simple sites with a diameter of just 150 meters.

According to the AVIC, the parameters and data on plateau flight performance and environmental adaptation obtained from this flight will further drive product improvements and iterations. This will also enable the airship to better adapt to diverse application scenarios and lay the foundation for expanding into more fields including emergency rescue and aerial monitoring, as well as developing customized flight support solutions.

The AVIC plans to further refine its application solutions for the southwestern region in China, with a particular focus on low-altitude tourism. This initiative is designed to position aviation equipment as a "new engine" for energizing the local low-altitude economy.

China's AS700 manned airship completes maiden low-altitude flight in plateau region

China is calling for an immediate cessation of the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and joint efforts to oppose such unilateral actions, the Chinese envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Monday.

Li Song, China's permanent representative to the IAEA, said that military strikes against Iran, launched by the United States and Israel, have led to a sudden escalation of an already volatile situation in the Middle East.

Li said the attacks launched as the U.S. and Iran were in the midst of negotiations were unacceptable, as was the blatant killing of a sovereign leader and the incitement of regime change. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns such unilateral acts, Li said.

Li said that China respects Iran's legitimate right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and attaches great importance to Iran's repeated reaffirmations that it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons. He also highlighted a report released by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, which stated that no evidence of Iran developing nuclear weapons had been found.

Peacefully resolving the Iranian nuclear issue through political and diplomatic means is the only correct option and is in the common interest of the international community, Li said.

Chinese IAEA envoy calls for cessation of US-Israeli attacks on Iran