Chinese troops unveil unmanned systems in joint drills with Mongolian counterparts

Chinese and Mongolian troops on Saturday wrapped up their "Steppe Partner 2026" joint drills in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, with the drills featuring the adoption of Chinese unmanned systems.

Before the closing ceremony, the two sides conducted a live-fire exercise on the subject of joint operations against illegal armed groups, as a test for the week-long joint training sessions.

At 09:00, the Chinese troops participating in the training deployed drones and "robotic wolves" to conduct joint reconnaissance of the simulated enemy's outer perimeter positions in coordination with participating Mongolian forces.

Inside the joint command post, commanders from both sides conducted comprehensive analysis based on the transmitted intelligence and jointly directed their troops to complete the operation.

During the exercise, "enemy" combatants used fortified bunkers to launch a counterattack and set up temporary obstacles in front of their positions. Commanders from both China and Mongolia adjusted their deployments, leveraging the fire control advantages of the joint assault group's armored equipment to construct a fire network.

The "robotic wolves" that carried assault rifles on them smoothly crossed the obstacles and maneuvered precisely toward "enemy" guard positions with suppressive fires. Artillery fire teams, in coordination with the mobile assault team, annihilated the entire "enemy" force.

"Both China and Mongolia deployed multiple combat units, including reconnaissance, firepower, and air defense units, and various types of weapons and equipment to jointly complete tasks such as aerial reconnaissance and fire strikes. Relying on a joint command post, the two sides shared information in real time and conducted joint reconnaissance, joint planning, and joint clearing and crackdown operations according to the progress of the operation," said Lieutenant Colonel Ge Changyong, a member of the participating Chinese troops.

The joint exercise, in its second edition this year, was first held in 2024.

Chinese troops unveil unmanned systems in joint drills with Mongolian counterparts

An endangered Indochinese gray langur has been captured on infrared camera in a nature reserve in southwest China's Yunnan Province, highlighting continued improvement in the area's biodiversity and conservation efforts.

Reserve staff recently discovered the footage while reviewing camera-trap data collected in a provincial nature reserve in Mojiang Hani Autonomous County, Pu'er City.

The video shows the langur climbing onto vine-covered branches with its long tail hanging below before pausing to scan its surroundings. After confirming the area was safe, the animal relaxed and remained perched in the forest canopy.

The Indochinese gray langur is listed as an endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and is under China's first-class state protection.

Local authorities say strengthened habitat protection and management in recent years have steadily improved the local ecological environment. In addition to the rare langur, other protected wildlife, such as slow lorises, silver pheasants and red junglefowl, have also been recorded in the reserve, reflecting the recovery of local biodiversity.

Rare Indochinese grey langur spotted in Yunnan nature reserve