China’s military aims to use AI to dominate in cyber and outer space, Japanese think tank warns

Defence ministry think tank says Beijing wants to match US by transforming PLA with the help of advanced technologies

China recognises the importance of information dominance in modern warfare, according to report

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The report said small drone-like Chinese aircraft had entered Japan’s airspace around the disputed Senkaku Islands in 2017 and 2018. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 7:36pm, 13 Nov 2020Updated: 10:49pm, 14 Nov 2020

The Chinese military is aiming to utilise cutting-edge technologies like private sector-developed artificial intelligence to enhance its offensive capability in domains such as cyberspace and outer space, a Japanese defence ministry think tank warned on Friday.

Beijing aspires to match the United States’ overall military capacity by transforming its People’s Liberation Army into a world-class fighting force with the help of advanced technologies, the National Institute for Defence Studies said in its annual report on China’s security strategy.

The report said that until the Chinese caught up with the American military, “the PLA will build up its interference and strike capabilities to prevent the United States’ military use of both the cyber and space domains”.

The “China Security Report 2021” was released as rivalry between Washington and Beijing has been intensifying, and amid competition for technological hegemony.

The US has restricted exports of semiconductors to Huawei Technologies, the Chinese telecoms giant that is aiming to expand its dominance of next-generation 5G technology.

That technology will enable transmission of large amounts of data at extremely high speeds, allowing telecommunication devices to connect to numerous products and services, including those related to military affairs, over digital cellular networks.

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