By Chen Dianhong and Song Bangwen
GUANGXI, Nov. 16 (ChinaMil) -- Recently, a border defense brigade of the army under the PLA Southern Theater Command has successfully completed the mine sweeping operations at a minefield in the Fakashan Mountain in Pingxiang city. That is the last minefield along the China-Vietnam border in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Minesweepers walked ceremonially across the minefield hand in hand to verify that the 60,000 square meters land is absolute safe. They then handed over the landmine-free field to the local government. This marks the complete clearance of all remaining landmines identified along China-Vietnam border in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Huang Taifeng, a mine clearance team commander of the border defense brigade, introduced that the mine-sweeping operation had cleared all the hidden dangers of land mines left over from history, laying a solid foundation for further opening-up to ASEAN countries, promoting Guangxi’s integration into the strategic channel of the Belt and Road Initiative, and is fundamental to long-term prosperity and development across border areas.
China launched the new round of minesweeping operations along China-Vietnam border in Guangxi in last November. As of October 25 this year, the Chinese minesweepers have demined 2,300 explosives and handed over 40 deep minefields totaling about 1.58 million square meters to local governments in eight border counties (cities, districts) and 17 border townships. And eventually, the Chinese minesweepers restored more than 2,300 acres of cultivated land and economic forest land for local people.
