Intl Army Games 2017 kick off in China

Russian soldiers pose with Chinese in the audience after the opening ceremony of the International Army Games 2017 in Korla, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, July 30, 2017. [Photo by Zou Hong/chinadaily.com.cn]

Opening ceremonies for the six events of the International Army Games 2017 being held in China took place on Sunday in Korla, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Changchun, Jilin province, and Guangshui, Hubei province.

Teams from 11 countries will compete in a series of events based on combat in China. The games, which conclude on Aug 12, comprise 28 events being held in Russia, China, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Some people call these comprehensive games the military Olympics.

Four of the events are held by the PLA Ground Force, including the Suvorov Attack -- one of the most popular events. The event featuring competition among infantry fighting vehicles will kick off on Monday in Korla. Russia brought its own vehicles and the other four foreign countries will all use Chinese infantry fighting vehicles.

The PLA Ground Force has provided 1,260 pieces of weaponry with calibers smaller than 122 millimeter to the foreign teams, said Major General Ye Jianjun, head of the Ground Force delegation.

The Aviadarts event held by the PLA Air Force will be staged at three airports in Jilin. The event, which started on Sunday, mainly test pilots' stamina and flying skills, said Air Force spokesman Shen Jinke.

Eight types of aircraft, including fighter jets, bombers and attack helicopters, will take part in the event. China will use its J-10B fighter jet to compete with a Russian fighter jet. Only China and Russia will compete in the event.

Seven countries will participate in the Airborne Platoon event, also to be held by the Air Force in Guangshui, starting Monday. China's only domestically-made airborne combat vehicle, the ZBD-03, will be put to the test.