China, Russia conduct 11th joint strategic air patrol

The Chinese and Russian air forces conducted their 11th joint strategic air patrol on Saturday over the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea and the western Pacific Ocean, the Ministry of National Defense said.

The patrol demonstrated their determination and capability to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability, according to a statement released by the ministry.

South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile said new technologies are necessary for South Africa’s drive to modernize its economy.

Mashatile recently visited China and attended the fourth China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing, which ran from Monday through Friday.

This year's expo brought together more than 1,200 exhibitors from 85 countries, regions and international organizations, with overseas exhibitors accounting for more than 36 percent of the total.

More than 160 new products, technologies and solutions made their debut during the five-day event, alongside over 60 business exchange activities.

He also toured the expo's exhibition area, where he tried smart terminal products, such as AR glasses developed by a Chinese company, and interacted with robots on display.

"I did go and see some robots. When we had a welcome dinner, there was a robot dancing at the banquet. So I went to see the stand, the company that that does the robots. But there are a lot of companies that are now developing these robots, new technologies, which are necessary for, as we modernize our economies, you do need these technologies, particularly where you need accuracy and so on," he said.

Mashatile said the expo offered him a platform to observe the development of China's technologies, which are highly relevant for South Africa.

"China remains our biggest trading partner. So the expo is very important, even though we didn't have a stand this year. But it was very important for us to come, particularly to see new technologies," said Mashatile.