Briefly

3 dead, 1 hurt in blast at Shanxi aluminum plant

Three people died and another person was severely injured in an explosion at an aluminum rod production plant in Xingxian county, North China's Shanxi province, around 5 am on Saturday, local authorities said. Rescue work at the site has been completed, and the cause of the accident is being investigated.

Amphibious plane passes airspeed test

China's AG600 large amphibious aircraft has successfully completed the first part of its certification flight test, Aviation Industry Corporation of China announced on Saturday. The AG600 carried out airspeed calibration on Friday at a civil aircraft flight test center in Pucheng, Shaanxi province, AVIC said. The test was conducted by a flight-test crew sent by the Civil Aviation Authority of China. The airspeed calibration flight test is crucial for ensuring the aircraft's performance and safety, AVIC said, and is also a necessary step for new aircraft to be certified and then put into operation.

More than 500,000 have flown on C919

China's self-developed large passenger aircraft, the C919, reached a milestone on Sunday by surpassing the 500,000 mark in terms of the number of passengers transported. Since beginning commercial operations on May 28 last year, the C919 has logged over 10,000 flight hours and completed more than 3,700 commercial flights. The first C919 was delivered to China Eastern Airlines on Dec 9, 2022. The airline now operates seven C919s, operating five regular routes that connect Shanghai with Chengdu, Beijing, Xi'an and Guangzhou, as well as Beijing with Xi'an. On Wednesday, Air China and China Southern Airlines received their first C919 aircraft in Shanghai.

Philippine vessel rams Chinese ship in lagoon

A Philippine coast guard vessel intentionally rammed a Chinese law-enforcement ship in the lagoon of Xianbin Reef, in China's Nansha Islands, on Saturday, China Coast Guard spokesperson Liu Dejun said. Liu said the unprofessional and dangerous maneuver resulted in scrapes, with all responsibility lying with the Philippines. The Philippine vessel had been illegally anchoring in Xianbin Reef, Liu said, adding that the China Coast Guard has warned the Philippines to face up to reality and abandon illusions, with its immediate withdrawal from the area the only correct course of action.

Xinhua