The United States and Turkey agreed on Wednesday to create a safe zone in northeastern Syria that would allow Turkey to protect its borders from Syrian-Kurdish forces that it regards as a terrorist threat and provide Syrian refugees in Turkey a safe space to return home.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force is now flying a new type of warplane that is based on the JH-7 fighter bomber, which Chinese military experts said is likely to have enhanced flight performance and firepower compared to its predecessors.

Damascus has rejected as “blatant aggression” a recent deal between the US and Turkey on the creation of a so-called safe zone in the northern part of Syria, where Washington-sponsored Kurdish militants have been active to Ankara’s dismay.