By An Puzhong and Wang Mengjie
URUMQI, July 16 -- On Tuesday, the Sharp Blade 2025 International Sniper Competition kicked off at a training base of the Chinese People's Armed Police (PAP) Force in Urumqi City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. More than 50 sniper teams from over 20 countries participated in the competition, including 12 teams dispatched by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Army, Navy, and Air Force, and the PAP Force.
With the purpose of promoting pragmatic cooperation and under the theme of "Forge Special Operations Elite and Promote Pragmatic Cooperation and Exchanges", the competition has set up 12 events covering four categories, namely the basic precision sniping, typical scenario sniping, comprehensive combat sniping, and long-range challenge sniping.
Compared with previous competitions, the subjects set for this competition placed greater emphasis on human-equipment teaming. It integrated drone aerial reconnaissance, assault vehicle land cover, assault boat water infiltration, and other human-equipment collaboration subjects with sniper operations to better present the real combat conditions.
As an important brand of the Chinese PAP Force's real combat training and international military cooperation, the Sharp Blade series of international sniper competition had been successfully held three times. The competition aims to promote international cooperation and exchanges, continuously facilitate the development of counter-terrorism special operations capabilities, and accomplish the missions of combating international terrorism and safeguarding world peace together with global military, police, and gendarmerie forces.