Units of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force conducted challenging training exercises with J-10 fighter to mark the 28th anniversary of the jet's maiden flight which falls on Monday.
From its debut on March 23, 1998, the J-10 has become capable of multi-model, multi-element integrated operations, and stood as a witness to the accelerated development of the PLA Air Force in the new era.
The PLA Air Force units have organized J-10C and other fighters to conduct challenging training exercises of confrontation in complex electromagnetic environments, close-range dogfighting, and penetration and assaults.
Modified from the J-10 fighter, the J-10C made its debut in July 2017 as China's third-generation supersonic fighter. It is capable of maintaining short- and medium-range air supremacy and can strike both ground and sea targets.
Equipped with an advanced avionics system and various airborne weapons, the domestically developed fighter is capable of airstriking within medium and close range, and precisely striking land and maritime targets.
At an airfield in north China, several J-10C fighters took off in succession and headed for the target airspace as scheduled. An air combat confrontation exercise supported by an early warning system was underway in a complex electromagnetic environment.
After the red force formation arrived in the designated airspace, they quickly detected blue force aircraft using early warning intelligence networks and on-board radar data.
After assessing the aerial situation, the red force commander assigned engagement targets via data link and initiated an attack against the blue force.
During the confrontation, both red and blue forces transitioned from tracking and locking to high-intensity maneuvering, from beyond-visual-range engagement to medium-range dogfighting, and then to close-range combat.
Supported by integrated system elements, they continuously shifted offensive and defensive postures until the exercise concluded.
"When I was a flight cadet, we piloted the J-10A. Now we fly the more advanced J-10C. This is not only a leap from the A to C model, but also an important embodiment of the accelerated development of integrated combat capabilities. As successors to the heroic legacy, it is a glorious mission and a great responsibility to fly an advanced fighter to safeguard the skies of our motherland. We must train hard on the ground and fly with precision in the air, strive to improve our air combat skills and soar high toward the goal of building a strong armed force in the new era," said Du Chengyang, a pilot from an aviation brigade of the Central Theater Command Air Force.
Air Force drills to mark J-10 fighter's 28th anniversary
China plays a vital role in the wave of artificial intelligence (AI) and the development of future industries, said government officials and business leaders attending the China Development Forum 2026 that opened in Beijing on Sunday.
Speaking at the Symposium on Technological Innovation and Future Industry Development, Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Lecheng said China will accelerate the innovative development of industries of the future.
"Centering around key areas like artificial general intelligence, quantum sci-tech, and clean, low-carbon hydrogen, we have deployed over 100 innovative research projects of future industries, unveiled the list and appointed leaders for these projects. We will continue to leverage the principal role of enterprises, vigorously nurturing leading technology enterprises and high-tech enterprises that lead in core technologies and possess strong innovation capabilities to drive the industries to advance towards cutting-edge and high-end fields," Li said.
From quantum technology to 6G, China is sharing its sci-tech achievements with countries around the world, working together to promote the development of future industries.
Business leaders from across the world said China is leading the breakthrough in AI technologies and will be fertile ground for the growth of future industries.
"From new energy, electric vehicles and high-end manufacturing to breakthroughs in robotics and artificial intelligence, China is at the best moment to share the fruits of sci-tech development with the world. In 2025, downloads of open-source (AI) models from China led the world, allowing global developers to freely access, fine-tune, and deploy these powerful models, truly making smart technologies a public good for all humanity," said Joseph Tsai, Chairman of Alibaba Group.
"China's complete industrial ecosystem will be fertile ground for the growth of future industries. Take embodied AI robots for example, their development relies not only on breakthroughs in intelligent algorithms but also on supporting components like precision transmission and execution parts like reducers and servo motors. A rich diversity of innovation pathways, a complete industrial system, and robust industrial supporting capabilities will be the fertile ground for the development of future industries," said Lei Jun, founder and chairman of Xiaomi Group.
"Not only manufacturing. So it's AI plus in every space, in every sector, in every industry. For us, we are the company in the world that powers AI in supplying energy systems to AI factories across the world. And therefore for us, the challenge is to make sure that we go fast enough, strong enough to support all the computing that is used by Chinese companies or by Chinese stakeholders," said Jean-Pascal Tricoire, chairman of Schneider Electric.
"Brain-computer interfaces have been listed as one of the six major future industries in China's 15th Five-Year Plan period this year. We are now fully leveraging AI technologies to decode information within the brain, using this capability to better address many issues related to brain diseases. This enables people with disabilities who have lost hands or feet to control prosthetic limbs with their thoughts, allowing them to regain their normal daily life," said Han Bicheng, founder of BrainCo, a Chinese neurotech company.
The two-day China Development Forum 2026 is themed on "China in Its 15th Five-Year Plan Period: Advancing High-Quality Development and Creating New Opportunities Together."
China to accelerate innovative development of future industries: official
