Despite being a new city with a history of only 39 years, Zhuhai in Guangdong province is already catching global attention, partly due to its diverse and high-level international events and the positive impressions they leave on attendees.
Leading the pack is the biennial China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, also known as Airshow China.
The 12th Airshow China, one of the world's top air shows, is taking place in the southern coastal city and will run through Sunday.
The first three days of the event are targeted at professional visitors and buyers, while the last three days are open to the public, providing flying and dynamic equipment displays. This year, the weeklong event has set a record for overall exhibition space. Its indoor exhibition covers an area of more than 100,000 square meters, up 22 percent compared to the 2016 session. The outdoor exhibition covers nearly 400,000 sq m, of which the dynamic equipment demonstration zone totals nearly 110,000 sq m, up from 70,000 sq m in the 2016 session.
It has gathered 770 Chinese and overseas exhibitors from 43 countries and regions, and is expected to attract more than 130,000 industry insiders and nearly 200 military and government trade delegations from over 60 countries and regions.
China's top 10 military-industrial giants are all taking part in the exhibition. They have brought with them their latest innovations and state-of-the-art products to showcase breakthroughs and milestones achieved in the fields of aviation, aerospace and national defense during the country's 40 years of reform and opening-up process, with a special focus on successes from after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012.
The grand event involves participation from an increasing number of the world's top 100 aviation and aerospace enterprises.
A lineup of exhibits representing world-leading technologies in the static display area is another highlight of the event, including the world's largest amphibious aircraft AG600; a model of the CR929 wide-body airliner; the carrier rocket family and Chang'e-4 lunar probe models; and modern weapons and national defense systems.
At the dynamic demonstration zone, 30 types of military equipment - such as tanks and armored vehicles - are demonstrating their high mobility, high flexibility and strong off-road capabilities by climbing slopes, crossing trenches, wading into water and performing snake-shaped maneuvers.
In the air, dazzling performances will be presented by several groups, including the People's Liberation Army Air Force's August 1st aerobatics team and the Air Force Aviation University's Red Falcon Air Demonstration Team, to wow visitors from home and abroad.
"Airshow China is not only an important channel for China to communicate and cooperate with other countries in the aviation and aerospace industries, but also serves as a solid platform to promote industrial transformation and upgrading, as well as innovation development in Zhuhai," said Zhou Zuode, office director of the event's executive committee.
It has also promoted the establishment and growth of Zhuhai Aviation Industry Park, the only one of its kind in Guangdong, which officially opened on Nov 4, 2008, the same day the seventh Airshow China kicked off.
After a decade of development, the park has now gathered a group of promising high-tech companies in the industry, covering fields ranging from research and manufacturing to maintenance, operation and training.
More effective cooperation mechanisms between the park and the exhibition are planned, aiming to bring about more opportunities for Zhuhai's economic development, Zhou said.
