BEIJING - Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano Wednesday in Beijing.Under the correct and powerful guidance of both leaders, the China-Philippine tie has entered the best period in recent years, which is in line with the common interests of both countries and people, Wang said.He said the high-level exchanges and the political mutual trust between the two countries have strengthened continually since 2016, adding that trade volumes between China and the Philippines exceeded $50 billion last year and China became the largest trading partner of the Philippines.Both sides agreed to continue to uphold and maintain the most important experience of China-Philippine relations, which is to properly handle the South China Sea issue through consultation and negotiation, vigorously maintain the big picture of bilateral ties, and create a good atmosphere for expanding bilateral cooperation, according to Wang.China is ready to advance cooperation with the Philippines under the Belt and Road Initiative, in people-to-people exchanges, maritime dialogue and cooperation, and regional integration, said Wang.Cayetano delivered a congratulatory letter from Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to Chinese President Xi Jinping, and said that the Philippines is willing to work with China to implement the consensus reached by the two leaders, deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields, promote maritime cooperation and sustained, in-depth development of bilateral ties. make your own silicone bracelet kitsilicone wristbands made in canadarubber wristbands australiacolor wristbandscustom his and her bracelets
Military expects exam will improve skills, increase combat readinessMore than 200 major generals of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force simultaneously took part in a recent examination held across the nation, marking the Ground Force's first large-scale test of its high-ranking commanders.The examination was arranged by the Ground Force headquarters and was held earlier this month in seven locations - Beijing, Fuzhou, Nanning, Lanzhou, Jinan, Urumqi and Lhasa. The largest test site was at the Ground Force Academy of Armored Forces in Beijing with 52 examinees, according to a statement from the Ground Force.Experts from PLA National Defense University and inspectors from the Ground Force's disciplinary committee supervised the examination.Participants were mostly made up of major generals and some senior colonels - commanding officers from departments under the Ground Force headquarters, academies, schools, regional branches and training and test bases.The examination was designed to check and hone the generals' capabilities in organizing training and commanding their troops. The results will be taken into consideration when it comes to promotion or commendation, the statement said. It added that the Ground Force wanted to use this examination to strengthen the notion that commanding officers must take the lead in combat readiness training.Lu Chuangang, assistant to the Ground Force's chief of staff, said the examination's content included theory, strategy and command skills. Participants were given different tasks in different areas, and were told to analyze their respective situations, determine goals, make plans for troop deployment and develop combat schedules, according to Zhou Bingyi, director of the operations bureau of the Ground Force's staff department.Zhou said participants had already taken part in tests on firearm usage and physical strength hosted by their own units before the examination."The capabilities of these commanding officers determine whether their troops will be well trained," Zhou said. "We hope such examinations will help improve the competence of commanders and consequently boost the combat capabilities and preparedness of their units."Xie Zenggang, commander of the 83rd Group Army who took the examination, was quoted by China National Radio as saying that it had broadened his horizons and enabled him to gain a higher strategic perspective that can be used in planning future operations."It also reminded me of the necessity that as a commander, I not only need to take into consideration joint operations by various services in the PLA but also to think about joint campaigns with foreign militaries," he said.In June, the Ground Force organized a test for commanders of its 13 group armies - its largest combat units. Since the start of this year, the Ground Force has conducted a wide range of examinations for almost all of its members to verify their professional knowledge and skills.
