China's military

Beijing's goal to turn the People’s Liberation Army into a powerful fighting force
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Latest news, features and opinion on the military in China, including the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the development of warships, aircraft carriers and fighter jets, spending on the armed forces and reforms and modernisation. US-China and mainland-Taiwan military tensions and the deployment of China’s armed forces overseas are also covered.

Latest News
News
Military
The Shenzhou-18 spaceship and a Long March-2F carrier rocket are pictured at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China. Photo: Xinhua
Military
China’s ‘breathtakingly fast’ space development a cause for concern: US official
Head of US space command warns that China’s space development is make its terrestrial forces ‘more precise, more lethal and more far ranging’.
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US Navy Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler attends the Western Pacific Naval Symposium in Qingdao. Photo: Reuters
Military
South China Sea: US and Chinese navy chiefs discuss ‘challenges in Indo-Pacific’
While Philippines was absent from forum, members passed updated Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea, a non-binding multilateral agreement.
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An artist’s impression of China’s mysterious H-20 stealth bomber. Photo: Weibo
Military
China’s little-known H-20 stealth bomber not a concern for US: Pentagon official
Anonymous defence intelligence bureaucrat casts doubt on system design of first Chinese strategic weapon of its kind.
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China’s JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missile makes its debut during a military parade in Beijing in 2019. Photo: Xinhua
Military
China shows off nuclear might ahead of top US diplomat Antony Blinken’s visit
Chinese navy releases video showing launch of JL-2 ballistic missile from nuclear submarine in display of its second-strike capability just days before US secretary of state’s trip to Beijing and Shanghai.
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Nvidia said systems built with its graphics processing units – chips that are in demand for artificial intelligence projects – and resold by third parties must comply with US export restrictions. Photo: Shutterstock
Tech War
China acquired US-restricted Nvidia AI chips built in servers, tenders show
Among the buyers were the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Shandong Artificial Intelligence Institute, the Hubei Earthquake Administration and a state-run aviation research centre.
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The new force was inaugurated on Friday. Photo: Xinhua
Military
PLA’s new force eyes modern warfare information support
New force is ‘a key pillar in coordinating the construction and application of the network information system’, according to President Xi Jinping
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China was the world’s second-biggest military spender after the United States in 2023. Photo: AFP
Military
East Asia joins global military spending surge over China concerns: report
Swedish think tank finds regional expenditure on armed forces rises at its highest rate in a decade.
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Senior Colonel Qu Tao (right) and a PLA Navy spokesman salute at the end of a press conference on Saturday in Qingdao, in eastern China’s Shandong province. Photo: AP
Military
US Pacific Fleet commander to attend China-hosted naval symposium: sources
Admiral Stephen Koehler will lead US delegation to symposium hosted by PLA Navy in and is expected to meet “Chinese counterparts”, diplomatic sources tell the Post.
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Forces from the US, the Philippines, Australia and France will take part in the Balikatan drills. Photo: Australian Department of Defence/AFP
Diplomacy
Will China hold back during the US-Philippine Balikatan military drills?
Next week’s iteration of the annual joint exercise will be the biggest and a clear signal to Beijing, observers say.
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The planned Starshield network “has not only upgraded its secure communication capabilities” from the Starlink satellite internet system, “but further expanded its Earth observation and payload capabilities”, according to the PLA Daily. Photo: SpaceX
Military
China’s PLA says US is ‘militarising space’ with Elon Musk’s new spy satellites
PLA Daily warns that a deal between the US military and a new SpaceX unit poses huge security challenges for ‘other countries’.
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The Chinese Type 056A corvette “Wenshan” is one of two PLA Navy warships that have spent most of the last four months docked at a Cambodian naval base. Photo: Weibo
Military
Chinese warships’ ‘exclusive’ access at Cambodia port stokes US concerns
Two PLA Navy ships are the only vessels to have docked at the Chinese-financed Ream naval base since upgrades last year, according to a US intelligence report.
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A Philippine Navy frigate leads three other participating ships during the first “multilateral maritime cooperative activity” with the US, Australia and Japan in the South China Sea. Photo: AFP/Armed Forces of the Philippines
Military
Beijing may get ‘up-close’ with US-Philippine drills amid South China Sea row
Location is ‘deterrent signal’ to Beijing as tensions spike with Manila, analyst says, while another sees Washington readying for hot conflict over Taiwan or South China Sea.
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A US Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile launcher arrives in northern Luzon Island, Philippines on April 8. Photo: US Army
Military
US missile deployment could push China to further militarise South China Sea
Mid-range launcher now in the Philippines is a ‘powerful weapon’ capable of retaliatory strikes on mainland China, analysts say.
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Chinese researchers say they have created an advanced method to detect the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. Photo: AFP
Science
Advanced detection tech boosts F-22 radar signature 60,000 times: Chinese team
Impact of study on US military’s F-22 fighter jet could be great given range of its air-to-air missiles and required radius for ground bomb attacks, says team.
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Republican congressman Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin is the outgoing chairman of the US House select committee on the Chinese Communist Party. Photo: Getty Images/TNS
Military
US lawmakers eye ‘full sanctions’ for Chinese military firms helping Russia
Legislation comes amid alarm in Washington over volume of material moving from Beijing to Moscow and said to be turning up on battlefields in Ukraine.
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Tensions are running high following a series of clashes between the Chinese coastguard and Philippine ships. Photo: Reuters
Military
Will US and China shift course in South China Sea after defence chiefs’ call?
The call between Dong Jun and Lloyd Austin comes after a series of clashes between the Chinese coastguard and the Philippines, a US ally.
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An alliance of rebel groups in northern Myanmar has been conducing major strikes against the country’s military junta since October. Photo: X/ @kokang0123
Military
China conducts live-fire drill along Myanmar border as rebel uprisings rage on
People’s Liberation Army holds air defence exercise amid fighting between Three Brotherhood Alliance and Myanmar’s military junta.
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US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Chinese counterpart on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
China
US, Chinese defence chiefs talk for first time in more than 2 years
The video call between Secretary Lloyd Austin and Admiral Dong Jun, who was appointed defence minister in December, is the latest sign of a thaw in US-China relations.
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Japan upgraded the Kaga to become an aircraft carrier. Photo: Kyodo
Diplomacy
Japan’s new aircraft carrier Kaga ruffles feathers in China
The name of the ship has already been criticised in China because it shares its name with an imperial warship that bombed Shanghai in the 1930s.
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The Aukus defence partnership between the US, Australia and the UK is exploring how Japan could join the pact, US President Joe Biden said during a press conference with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida. Photo: Reuters
Military
Aukus not an ‘Asian Nato’ but expansion could complicate China’s regional plans
Possible enlargement of the Indo-Pacific cooperation pact could leave China more isolated, with a more complex network of potential adversaries.
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The PLA Navy has been busy cementing diplomatic ties as its 45th naval fleet visited Tanzania (pictured) and Mozambique. Photo: Weibo/PLA Navy
Diplomacy
Chinese navy steps up African port calls in push to cement diplomatic ties
After pausing them during the pandemic, Beijing’s growing military diplomacy is seeing more frequent port visits.
Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun (left) and his Vietnamese counterpart Phan Van Giang after signing the memorandum of understanding on the South China Sea hotline. Photo: Vietnam Ministry of National Defence
Military
Beijing agrees to South China Sea hotline with Vietnam as Manila tensions spike
‘If China and Vietnam work well on this’, Manila would ‘not go too far to provoke’ Beijing, analyst says.
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Joe Biden welcomes Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to Washington for their summit on Wednesday. Photo: Bloomberg
Diplomacy
Beijing accuses US and Japan of ‘smears’ over Taiwan and South China Sea
Comments follow US President’s meeting with Japanese leader, where they unveiled a series of deals to strengthen military and economic ties to counter China.
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China is closing the US’ air superiority gap, according to a senior American military official. Photo: Xinhua via AP
Military
US Air Force budget delays letting China close air superiority gap: official
New weapons programmes to counter China in the air and space held up by political obstruction, stopgap measures, Senate subpanel told.
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Cambodian warships are docked at the Ream naval base in Sihanoukville. Photo: AP
Southeast Asia
US, Vietnam fear Cambodia’s China-backed canal could serve military goals
The US urged greater transparency from Cambodia over the US$1.7 billion project that analysts say could be used to boost China’s military presence in Phnom Penh.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed innovation and ‘new quality combat power’ as priorities for future military dominance. Photo: Reuters
Military
China’s military prioritises AI-driven navy, space combat to ‘win future wars’
Study Times, a key Communist Party paper, publishes series by PLA experts on emerging weapons technology to take strategic high ground.
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US General Charles Flynn says the army will soon deploy a missile launch system that could fire its latest “long-range precision fires” in the Asia-Pacific region. Photo: US Army
Military
‘A message for China’: US’ new missile launchers in Asia a ‘warning’ to Beijing
Chinese foreign ministry says China does not compete with other nations in military power and ‘firmly pursues a defensive national defence policy’.
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A Japanese military ceremony to mark the deployment of the missiles in Okinawa. Photo: Kyodo
Military
Japan showing ‘obvious offensive characteristics’ with new missile unit, says PLA
A new Japanese regiment equipped with advanced anti-ship missiles was established in the strategically vital Ryukyu island chain last month.
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A still image released on March 5 shows smoke rising from what Ukrainian intelligence claimed was a Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol ship disabled by a drone attack. Photo: Ukrainian defence ministry/Handout via Reuters
Military
Ukraine’s drone tactics have inspired Taiwan, but US support remains critical
Ukraine’s drones have taken a heavy toll on Russian ships and ports, offering valuable lessons in asymmetrical warfare.
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A photograph provided by the US Indo-Pacific Command shows the meeting in Honolulu without identifying the participants. Photo: US Indo-Pacific Command
Military
US and Chinese military discuss potential for accidental clashes in Indo-Pacific
Meeting in Hawaii on Wednesday and Thursday was first face-to-face consultation since Xi Jinping and Joe Biden agreed to resume military dialogue in November.
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Opinion
Asian Angle|Will China’s military drills with Southeast Asian nations reduce trust deficit?
China’s ‘Peace and Friendship’ drills with five Asean member states is further evidence of Beijing’s move towards multilateral defence cooperation.
Ian Storey
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Editorial|Resumption of US-China talks on nuclear arms is a step in right direction
Meeting between China and the US is not only about avoiding doomsday, but a show of joint leadership that can bring a troubled world to a better place.
SCMP Editorial
1
My Take|How Washington fought off the great Chinese balloon invasion
If the US needed millions of dollars to shoot down a couple of hobbyist balloons, a trillion-dollar military budget is not enough to fight China.
SCMP ColumnistAlex Lo
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My Take|A militarised belt and road? The West’s threat inflation is ridiculous
Western military fabulists now warn that China may be expanding naval bases around the world faster than you can count aloud.
SCMP ColumnistAlex Lo
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As I see it|Why China should take a leaf out of Washington’s defence transparency playbook
Some experts say China should – like some other nations – aspire to a standard where it makes clear the intent behind its military strategy and defence procurement plans.
Su-Lin Tan
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My Take|UK foreign chief’s claim about China’s military build-up borders on the absurd
As Beijing hasn’t fought a major war since its 1980s reforms, any budget increase could be described as ‘the biggest military build-up in peacetime history’.
SCMP ColumnistAlex Lo
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Inside Out|Global arms race is diverting funds from health and climate spending
Alongside calls for more military spending, there are demands to address climate change and rebuild health systems even as governments struggle with record debt levels. A series of squeezes are set to cut deep into spending that is best directed elsewhere.
David Dodwell
Outside In|The world can’t afford the catastrophe of a mainland attack on Taiwan
As tensions rise in the Taiwan Strait, analysts predict a global economic and political disaster in case of an attack. To ensure the possibility of forced reunification remains slim, moderate voices are needed urgently.
David Dodwell
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Macroscope|Drums of war drowning out calls to fight climate change and poverty
Despite the prospect of protracted fiscal and monetary austerity, defence budgets around the world are ballooning. This is absurd when the world should be focusing on preventing pandemics, surviving climate change and eradicating poverty.
Anthony Rowley
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My Take|Anatomy of a debunked China coup rumour
Fake news about a coup in Beijing last week offered those who followed it a rare glimpse in real time into how malicious falsehoods are spread quickly online around the world.
SCMP ColumnistAlex Lo
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Editorial|PLA remembers past with eyes on future
President Xi Jinping’s vision for China’s military to be seen as world-class defence, peace and security force by 2027 is to be welcomed.
SCMP Editorial
1
Asian Angle|Asean needs to sit up and take notice of US-China rivalry in the Pacific
Beijing wrong-footed Washington and its allies by aiming for the Indo-Pacific Strategy’s soft underbelly. The significance of their rivalry for regional security cannot be overstated.
Daljit Singh
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