Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej Passes Away

Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej Passes Away

Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej died on Oct. 13 at the age of 88. His majesty passed away peacefully at 3：52 p.m. local time at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok， the Bureau of Royal Household said in a statement.

The ninth king of the Chakri Dynasty ascended to the throne when he was 19 and was the world's longest-reigning monarch. Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolences to Queen Sirikit of Thailand over the passing of King Bhumibol.

In the name of the Chinese people and himself， Xi expressed deep condolences over the passing of King Bhumibol and extended his sincere sympathy to other members of the Thai Royal Family and the Thai people.

Xi said that King Bhumibol was the guiding force behind Thailand's national development and a promoter of China-Thai friendship. The good relationship enjoyed between the two countries today is directly linked to personal efforts made by King Bhumibol himself， Xi said.

On October 22， Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao arrived in Bangkok as a special envoy of President Xi Jinping to pay tribute to the late Thai king.

2016 China-ASEAN Expo Tourism Exhibition

The 2016 China-ASEAN Expo Tourism Exhibition was held in Guilin in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from Oct. 20-22. Embracing the opportunity of the 25th anniversary of China-ASEAN dialogue relations， the event this year aimed to provide a global platform for tourism stakeholders and promote tourism cooperation and

exchanges between China and ASEAN countries.

The exhibition hall， with an area of 23，000 square meters， was divided into six exhibition zones， respectively devoted to the theme of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road， international tourism commodities， tourism consumption， the images of ASEAN countries， domestic tourism and Guangxi tourism. About 800 exhibitors from nearly 60 countries and regions participated in the event.

This year's event primarily covered four areas： tourism image， tourism products，tourism consumption and smart tourism technology. In addition to traditional content such as tourist attractions， tourism agencies， tourist souvenirs and tourism food， some stateof-the-art products were also displayed at the fair， including smart tourism devices and electronic equipment for tourism information.

Chinese Fleet Visits Vietnam to Boost Naval Ties

A Chinese naval fleet arrived at Cam Ranh Port in central Vietnam on Oct. 22 for a five-day visit to the country to promote military ties between the two sides.

The visit to Vietnam was the fleet's last stop on its way home after completing escort missions in the Gulf of Aden， the waters off Somalia， and visits to Myanmar， Malaysia and Cambodia.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army （PLA） Navy and the Vietnam Navy have strengthened communication and cooperation in recent years. The two sides have held joint patrols in Beibu Bay 20 times，under which joint exercises and ship visits were conducted.

Chinese naval fleets have visited Vietnam several times since 2001. However， this is the first time that a Chinese naval fleet has visited Cam Ranh Port after it began operating as an international port in March this year.

Shenzhou-11 Spacecraft Docks with Tiangong-2 Space Lab

The Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft successfully completed its automated docking with the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab at 3：31 a.m. on Oct. 19，Beijing Time.

Shenzhou-11， which was launched on Oct. 17 from northwest China's Gobi Desert， began its approach to Tiangong-2 automatically at 1：11 a.m. on Oct. 19 and made contact with the space lab at 3：24 a.m. The rendezvous took place in orbit about 393 kilometers above Earth.

The two astronauts aboard Shenzhou-11， Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong， monitored and reported on the docking operation，relaying their findings to the control center. According to the mission schedule， once they enter the space module， the astronauts will stay there for 30 days.

Shenzhou-11， China's sixth manned spacecraft， will undertake the longest-ever space mission in the country's history. The two astronauts will spend a total of 33 days in space.

China is the third country，after the United States and Russia， to complete successfully space rendezvous and docking procedures. Tiangong-2 was sent into space on Sept. 15. It is hailed as China's first space lab and a key step in building a permanent space station， which the country aims to accomplish by 2020.