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China military reform
ChinaMilitary

China must become self-reliant in key technology to be secure, says military newspaper

  • PLA journal says the country needs to master technologies such as 5G, blockchain and AI to guarantee its security
  • Article comes at a time when confrontation with US is intensifying, but China is still lagging behind in some areas

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The article argued that mastering key technologies would help China gain military superiority. Photo: Xinhua
Kristin Huang
An official Chinese military newspaper has urged the country to speed up innovation and become self-reliant in key technology.

The article, headlined “Gain superiority with innovation” and published by the PLA’s China National Defence News, said China should speed up the development of strategic, forward-looking and transformative technologies.

The article named 5G, big data, blockchain, artificial intelligence and quantum computing as examples of key technologies to master and said “no matter how difficult it is, we must face the hurdles, try to surpass other nations, and level up the contribution of technological innovation to the military and combat capabilities build-up”.
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“The military field has always been the field where confrontation is the most intense and requires the most innovative spirit,” the article continued.

“Key technologies cannot be bought with money. Only by taking the road of independent innovation can the country’s overall security be fundamentally guaranteed.

“A new round of scientific and technological revolution is speeding up around the world, new technologies continue to make breakthroughs … and have profoundly changed the development and evolution of military and war patterns,” it said, adding “only the innovators can win military confrontations”.

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