The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will dispatch troops to Russia next week to participate in a multinational humanitarian mine clearance exercise, a Chinese defense ministry spokesman said on Friday.
The field training exercise is organized under the framework of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) Experts' Working Group on Humanitarian Mine Action.
"From Sept 7 to 12, the Chinese People's Liberation Army will send troops to Russia to participate in the field training exercise (FTX) of the Experts' Working Group (EWG) on Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) under the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus). Set against the scenario of multinational armed forces conducting joint humanitarian clearance operations in mixed-explosive-contaminated areas, the exercise will focus on battlefield area clearance, mechanical demining, mine detection dog deployment, and clearance of improvised explosive devices. It will help promote experience sharing and capacity building in mine action among participating countries and enhance regional peace and stability," said Jiang Bin, the spokesman, at a press briefing in Beijing.
Chinese troops to join multinational humanitarian demining exercise in Russia
As China and Egypt mark this year the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relationship, a Chinese anti-war blockbuster has become the latest and most vivid testament to the deepening cultural and cinematic ties between the two ancient civilizations, offering audiences a taste of shared humanity across continents.
The anti-war film, "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East", tells a story that transcends borders. It follows a Chinese man working as a chef at a Chinese restaurant in the Middle East in the 2000s when war breaks out. What sets the film apart is its painstaking commitment to authenticity.
The production team made multiple fact-finding trips to Egypt and other Middle East countries to capture the region's cultural fabric and everyday lives of its people. They constructed nearly 200 buildings in regional architectural styles, recreating an entire Middle East town with meticulous attention to detail.
The filmmakers went a step further in their pursuit of cultural accuracy: they held an open casting call in Cairo that drew more than 13,700 applicants from across the region. From that vast pool, dozens of Egyptian actors were selected for key roles. Young Egyptian actor Omar Sherif stars as the orphan Seif, delivering a performance entirely in his native dialect, with authentic expressions and emotionally resonant delivery rooted in his own cultural background.
The film has gained commercial success, grossing more than 2 billion yuan (around 295 million U.S. dollars) in China including pre-sales since its release on August 11.
"I am very happy to have won the affection of Chinese audiences. From the moment I joined the production, I could see that the team had a clear vision and worked with exceptional professionalism. That gave me even greater confidence in bringing this character to life. Both China and Egypt are ancient civilizations, and our peoples share the same love for food, family, life and peace," said Sherif.
Behind the screen, collaboration was equally deep. Egyptian actors and cultural advisors participated in refining the script's details and overseeing customs and etiquette, ensuring the film's cultural expression was rigorous and accurate.
The Chinese production team provided four months of dedicated acting training for the Egyptian lead actors, along with comprehensive living support and cultural adaptation services, fostering an inclusive and mutually respectful creative environment. The film also incorporates classic Egyptian musical elements, using audiovisual art to connect the unique characteristics of both civilizations. Director Wen Muye, known for his critically acclaimed works, emphasized that the project was driven by more than just visual authenticity.
"We traveled to the Middle East at least five or six times for fact finding. In this process, beyond external physical aspects like local architecture, what matters the most is the people's heart. When emotional communication flows freely, language barriers become secondary. I believe eating well is part of the Chinese vision of peace. It's a simple idea, but one with immense, universal power. We tried our best to convey that value and China's perspective on peace so that audiences both at home and abroad can understand and appreciate it," Wen said.
In recent years, cultural exchanges between China and Egypt in filmmaking and television have grown increasingly routine and diverse, with reciprocal film weeks, youth short-film festivals, and screenings of outstanding films becoming regular fixtures on the cultural calendar.
A cultural exchange event was held by China Media Group (CMG) in Cairo on Tuesday, bringing a curated selection of Chinese films to Egyptian audiences ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's arrival for a state visit to the Arab country earlier this week.
To further deepen China-Egypt cooperation in the film industry, CMG and the Cairo International Film Festival have reached an agreement of intent to strengthen collaboration and exchanged a memorandum of understanding on enhanced cooperation.
Chinese anti-war film highlights deepening China-Egypt cultural exchanges
