China hopes that France and Germany will uphold open cooperation and free trade, observe World Trade Organization rules, and refrain from encouraging the European Union (EU) to use protectionist tools at every turn, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday.
When asked to comment on media reports that France and Germany had urged the EU to make greater use of trade defense measures and roll out a number of new protectionist tools, the spokesperson said China has always maintained that interdependence is not a risk, intertwined interests do not pose a threat, and open cooperation represents the right path to development.
Protectionism cannot enhance competitiveness, and decoupling and cutting off supply chains will only harm others without benefiting oneself, the spokesperson said.
As major economies, France and Germany should not politicize trade and economic issues or overstretch the concept of national security. They should avoid going down the wrong path in the wrong way, which would ultimately backfire on themselves, the spokesperson said.
China urges France, Germany to uphold open cooperation, free trade
A brigade of the 75th Group Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducted a live-fire drill in desert recently to sharpen the real combat capability of soldiers.
During the drill, air-defense units quickly maneuvered to the designated battle area, while a dense swarm of simulated enemy drones were flying at ultra-low altitudes to attack the position.
Assessing the situation, the commander decisively ordered anti-drone units to launch electro-optical and communications jamming and concentrate fire on the enemy aircraft, successfully destroying the targets.
As soon as the first round of counterattacks ended, the commander ordered a relocation as the position had been exposed. Officers and soldiers quickly packed up their equipment, maneuvered to a new site, and rapidly completed deployment, firepower reorganization, and camouflage to restore air defense capabilities.
At the same time, the radar network was activated and put into operation, establishing a reconnaissance and early-warning network with full-area coverage and real-time tracking.
The live-fire drill continued from daytime well into the night. The soldiers dealt with a lot of emergencies while enduring great physical and mental pressure to improve their skills and emergency handling capacities. "This exercise was conducted under different battlefield conditions day and night. We carried out a continuous series of combat-oriented drills, including responses to multiple types of air threats, tactical maneuvers, and the handling of special situations. The troops were honed in unfamiliar and complex desert conditions to steadily enhance their capabilities for quick response, maneuverable combat, and continuous combat readiness," said He Qing, a service member of the brigade.
Chinese army conducts live-fire drill to enhance combat capabilities
