China has approved the restructuring of China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec) and China National Aviation Fuel Group (CNAF), the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council said on Thursday.
Following the restructuring, the two companies will be able to leverage a range of corporate strengths -- including integrated refining and chemical operations and a more robust aviation fuel supply assurance system -- to reduce intermediate links, lower supply costs, provide strong support for China's aviation sector's energy security, and promote high-quality development of the industrial chain.
The two will also deepen cooperation in sectors such as sustainable aviation fuel -- from research and production to storage, refueling and trade, promote the research and a wider use of sustainable aviation fuel, help airlines cut carbon emissions, and strengthen the industrial chain of the aviation fuel industry.
China's aviation fuel demand is expected to grow by about four percent annually during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), with consumption projected to reach around 75 million tons by 2040.
The CNAF is Asia's leading aviation transport service provider, providing aviation fuel procurement, transportation, storage, quality test, sales, and refueling service. Its core business spans from aviation fuel, petroleum, logistics, international trade, to general aviation. Sinopec is the world's largest refiner and China's biggest aviation fuel producer.
Sinopec, China National Aviation Fuel Group to conduct restructuring
The Chinese naval hospital ship, Silk Road Ark, carried out a medical rescue drill in Atlantic waters during its Mission Harmony 2025, testing its capability to provide medical support during long-distance deployments.
The drill marked the vessel's first overseas medical-support exercise in unfamiliar waters in 2026, designed to simulate real-world emergency response scenarios far from home ports.
It brought together the hospital ship, a sea-based medical facility and shipborne helicopters in a coordinated rescue operation.
The exercise was conducted against a simulated backdrop of a commercial vessel in distress on the high seas with multiple casualties. After receiving the emergency signals, a shipborne helicopter immediately took off under an aerial evacuation plan, transferring simulated injured personnel to the triage area for rapid assessment and emergency treatment.
As part of the exercise, medical teams practiced a time-sensitive rescue approach, combining casualty transfer, triage and treatment to ensure prompt and accurate assessment of injuries under operational conditions.
"We followed the principle of providing treatment while transferring and carrying out triage and rescuing, ensuring that casualties are correctly assessed at the earliest time possible. If a patient is in a critical condition, we must carry out necessary emergency treatment in the triage area. Once vital signs are relatively stable, the patient is then transferred to an appropriate treatment unit," said Jiang Yingbo, a member of the Mission Harmony 2025.
Severely injured patients were transferred to intensive care units for further observation and treatment after surgery. A medical expert group then conducted timely consultations to formulate targeted treatment plans.
Under complex sea conditions in distant waters, the drill covered multiple training modules including maritime evacuation, triage, emergency treatment and surgery, strengthening the military medical ship's integrated emergency medical response, and enhancing the navy's far-sea medical support capability, according to the authorities.
Chinese navy hospital ship drills medical rescue in Atlantic waters
