How emerging technologies are driving China’s readiness for modern warfare
- China’s armed forces have started embracing emerging tech with an eye on closing the gap in military power with the US
- Dual-use technologies such as AI and big data have been incorporated into military strategy and will play an important role in China’s future plans
The 2010s saw the military focus on developing warfare capabilities specific to the digital and information age. This is evident from the 2013 Science of Military Strategy and the 2015 white paper on military strategy, which specifically mentioned outer space, electromagnetic space and cyberspace.
Two terms – “informationisation” and “intelligentisation” – reflect the significance of technology to the Chinese military. “Informatisation” refers to the use of new information and communication technologies. Its application in the military also overlaps with the goals of digitalisation of the military.
An increasing emphasis on emerging technology is evident in the evolution of China’s military-strategic guidelines. The 1993 guidelines mention “local wars under modern, high-technology conditions” while the 2004 guidelines mention “local wars under informationised conditions”. The most recent guidelines, in 2015, focus largely on preparing to fight and win “informationised local wars”.
PLA moves 300,000 troops from non-combat units to frontline roles: source
The development of offensive and defensive capabilities is an important part of Beijing’s plan to modernise the PLA. Writers within the PLA frequently discuss various aspects of intelligent warfare, which demonstrates the importance of emerging technology in the eyes of Chinese military researchers. Chinese scholars also frequently write about their vision of futuristic warfare.
Beijing is now exploring next-generation operational concepts for “intelligentised warfare”. These include attrition warfare by intelligent robotic swarms, cross-domain mobile warfare, AI-based space confrontation and cognitive control operations.
Take building impenetrable communications for example. Recently, scholars from the National University of Defence Technology highlighted “strong connections” as a factor required to win intelligent warfare.
These are all steps towards building an all-encompassing, impenetrable communication network that can be leveraged in case of conflict.
As the world moves further into the digital age, the emphasis on dual-use applications of emerging technologies will keep growing. Thus, Beijing sees the need to develop military competency in critical and emerging technologies to gain an advantage over its adversaries.
Megha Pardhi is a research analyst (China Studies) at the Takshashila Institution, a public policy think tank in Bangalore.
Arjun Gargeyas is a research analyst with the High Tech Geopolitics Programme at the Takshashila Institution