SHANGHAI — China’s air force will participate in the upcoming Singapore Airshow, the Chinese defense ministry said on Wednesday, as concerns over the spread of a coronavirus overshadow Asia’s biggest aerospace and defense event. The ministry said in a post on its official WeChat account that its air force had been invited to take part in the airshow between Feb 5-18, adding that it would send nine aircraft and more than 100 personnel. The Singapore Airshow said in a statement on Wednesday that China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force aerobatics team Ba Yi would fly for the first time at the show. Singapore authorities and event organizers did not immediately comment on whether the Chinese delegation had been given exemption to attend. (Reporting by Brenda Goh in Shanghai; Additional Reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei and John Geddie in Singapore; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Source: National Post February 05, 2020 12:00 UTC