https://www.scmp.com/rss/322554/feed 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. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Liu Zhen Liu Zhen China has miniaturised the technology used to make electromagnetic cannons to develop a handheld coil gun, according to state media. The weapon was designed for stealth, non-lethal operations and law enforcement, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Saturday, adding that it could fire between 1,000 and 2,000 projectiles a minute and penetrate wooden boards from dozens of metres away. Its power levels can also be altered, meaning that on lower settings there is less chance it will kill someone and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3349089/china-unveils-handheld-coil-gun-works-less-deadly-pistol?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3349089/china-unveils-handheld-coil-gun-works-less-deadly-pistol?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 12:00:11 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen Iran has demanded explanations from two Gulf states equipped with Chinese-made Wing Loong II drones after one was reportedly shot down in the war with the United States and Israel. Both the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are known to have the reconnaissance and precision strike drones in their arsenals. The drone was shot down over the city of Shiraz on Thursday, according to Esmail Baqaei, a spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry. Baqaei posted photos of drone wreckage on social... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3349036/iran-demands-explanations-saudis-and-uae-after-chinese-made-drone-was-shot-down?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3349036/iran-demands-explanations-saudis-and-uae-after-chinese-made-drone-was-shot-down?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 09:51:34 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen The People’s Liberation Army has upgraded its ageing tanks for a potential Taiwan operation, equipping them with a system to counter drone attacks and anti-tank missiles, according to state media. Type 96A main battle tanks with the GL-6 active protection system, or APS, installed were shown in video footage released by official newspaper China Youth Daily on Monday. The tanks belong to the 71st Group Army unit under the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command, which is mainly responsible for possible... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3348816/pla-upgrades-ageing-tanks-protection-system-potential-taiwan-operation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3348816/pla-upgrades-ageing-tanks-protection-system-potential-taiwan-operation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:00:08 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen As Tokyo was completing the deployment on Tuesday of its two Type 25 missiles targeting China, a Chinese naval fleet entered the Sea of Japan, while bilateral tensions continued to escalate. China has strongly protested the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force’s addition of the newly designated Type 25 long-range surface-to-ship guided (SSM) missile and hypervelocity gliding projectiles (HGP). The deployments were an example of “neo-militarism in Japan, which has become more than just a perilous... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3348676/chinese-navy-arrives-sea-japan-just-tokyo-deploys-long-range-missiles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3348676/chinese-navy-arrives-sea-japan-just-tokyo-deploys-long-range-missiles?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 10:01:24 +0000 Alcott Wei Alcott Wei China has conducted the maiden flight of the Changying-8, which it says is the world’s heaviest multi-terrain cargo drone with the potential for military applications. The CY-8, which was developed under defence contractor China North Industries Group Corporation Limited (Norinco), is capable of short take-offs and landings as well as operating on high-altitude plateaus and island regions. According to state broadcaster CCTV, the drone successfully completed its maiden flight on Tuesday morning... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3348559/china-tests-worlds-heaviest-cargo-drone-suited-high-altitude-and-island-operations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3348559/china-tests-worlds-heaviest-cargo-drone-suited-high-altitude-and-island-operations?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 11:29:17 +0000 Amber Wang Amber Wang China’s new air-based nuclear missile will boost the country’s ability to survive a first strike and retaliate, reinforcing confidence in its no-first-use policy, according to a state-linked military magazine. The Jinglei-1 nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) made its debut at the World War II Victory Day parade in Beijing last September. It can be carried by the PLA Air Force’s H-6N strategic bombers, completing the People’s Liberation Army’s “nuclear triad” – the ability to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3348174/what-debut-new-air-based-missile-means-chinas-nuclear-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3348174/what-debut-new-air-based-missile-means-chinas-nuclear-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:00:14 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen China’s military canine robots have evolved into intelligent “wolf packs” with specialised roles and a shared “brain” to coordinate complex tasks in urban warfare, according to state media. Compared with earlier models deployed and tested by the People’s Liberation Army, these “robot wolves” have achieved a transformational leap from a “single-soldier support system to a coordinated swarm combat platform”, state broadcaster CCTV said in a documentary series episode that aired on Thursday. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3348167/rise-wolf-pack-chinas-canine-robots-evolve-think-one-urban-combat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3348167/rise-wolf-pack-chinas-canine-robots-evolve-think-one-urban-combat?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:01:18 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen Beijing should develop an air-based interceptor system as missile threats escalate from Washington and its regional allies, as well as Taiwan and India, a mainland Chinese military magazine has urged, pointing to developments in the Iran war. The war in the Middle East, particularly the “nearly insurmountable challenges” posed by Iran’s ballistic missiles to Israel, is exposing the limitations of existing midcourse and terminal-phase missile defence systems, according to an analysis in the March... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3347981/iran-war-shows-why-china-must-change-course-missile-interception-tech-analysis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3347981/iran-war-shows-why-china-must-change-course-missile-interception-tech-analysis?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:00:18 +0000 William Zheng William Zheng Tan Ruisong, the former boss of China’s top military aviation company, has been given a suspended death sentence for reaping over 613 million yuan (US$89 million) from bribes and insider trading. Tan, 64, was the chairman and Communist Party secretary of state-owned Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC) – China’s leading military aircraft maker – from 2018 until his retirement in March 2023. He is one of the most prominent defence sector executives to come under investigation in President Xi... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3347885/former-defence-exec-tan-ruisong-given-death-sentence-exceptional-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3347885/former-defence-exec-tan-ruisong-given-death-sentence-exceptional-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:00:08 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen There is little chance the US could bring China to the table on any nuclear arms control agreements in the short term, despite upcoming leaders’ meetings this year, experts said on Tuesday, as the Trump administration pushes for a trilateral deal including China after the previous US-Russia treaty expired last month. There is “no shortage of good ideas” for how the upcoming summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping could move the world towards ending a nuclear... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3347775/us-unlikely-get-china-join-new-nuclear-arms-control-agreement-say-experts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3347775/us-unlikely-get-china-join-new-nuclear-arms-control-agreement-say-experts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 23:02:23 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen A pair of advanced destroyers kicked off an intensive and wide-ranging training exercise soon after they were assigned to the People’s Liberation Army division that oversees Taiwan and the East China Sea. The newly commissioned 12,000-tonne guided-missile destroyers, the Dongguan and Anqing, took part in their first live-fire training in mid-March, simulating high-intensity combat missions, the official PLA Daily reported on Sunday. The Type 055 “super destroyers” are the first of their kind in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3347726/new-type-055-destroyers-pla-east-china-fleet-tested-first-live-fire-drill?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3347726/new-type-055-destroyers-pla-east-china-fleet-tested-first-live-fire-drill?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 10:12:05 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen While Iranian Shahed-136 suicide drones recently drew attention for destroying key US radars and striking targets as far away as Cyprus in the US-Israel war on Iran, their distant “cousins” in China may pose an even higher risk in a future conflict. China’s ASN-301 shares the Iranian drone’s aerodynamic delta-wing design that is rooted in a common technological origin. The Chinese drone and its variants have evolved into either a highly sophisticated SEAD (suppression of enemy air defences)... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3347494/why-chinas-asn-301-suicide-drone-more-deadly-its-iranian-counterpart?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3347494/why-chinas-asn-301-suicide-drone-more-deadly-its-iranian-counterpart?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 14:00:13 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen The People’s Liberation Army has announced a new AI-assisted task dispatch system for China’s aerial refuelling tankers, days after a US military tanker crashed in the Middle East. According to the official PLA Daily, the Chinese air force has streamlined its aerial refuelling operations with a smart artificial intelligence (AI) system to improve efficiency and safety. The report on Monday came just days after a US Air Force Boeing KC-135 “Stratotanker” aerial refuelling tanker crashed in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3347011/chinas-pla-reveals-ai-assisted-aerial-refuelling-tech-days-after-us-military-tanker-crash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3347011/chinas-pla-reveals-ai-assisted-aerial-refuelling-tech-days-after-us-military-tanker-crash?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 01:00:13 +0000 Alcott Wei Alcott Wei The chief designer on the J-20 stealth fighter jet has been removed from the website of China’s national research institute, amid a sweeping campaign to stamp out corruption in the defence sector. Yang Wei, 62, had been listed as a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the top academic body for science and technology. But as of Monday, his name was no longer on the site, according to a snapshot from Internet Archive, which seeks to preserve online content. Yang has not appeared in public... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346972/j-20-fighter-jet-designer-scrubbed-chinese-academy-sciences-website?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346972/j-20-fighter-jet-designer-scrubbed-chinese-academy-sciences-website?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 09:00:09 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings China leads the world in patent applications for anti-drone technology, which has drawn heightened attention during the wars in Ukraine and Iran and a spate of suspicious sightings in the West, according to intellectual property law firm Mathys & Squire. Patent applications for anti-drone systems rose 27 per cent over the past year, with China submitting 82 compared with 22 from the US, the second-largest filer, the 115-year-old UK-based law firm said on Monday. South Korea ranked third with six... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3346874/china-leads-world-anti-drone-patents-us-and-south-korea-far-behind-law-firm-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3346874/china-leads-world-anti-drone-patents-us-and-south-korea-far-behind-law-firm-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 13:00:08 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Zhao Tong is a senior fellow with the Nuclear Policy Programme at Washington-based think tank the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and its East Asia-based research centre on contemporary China, Carnegie China. His research focuses on strategic security issues, including nuclear weapons policy, deterrence, arms control, non-proliferation, missile defence, hypersonic weapons, regional security in the Asia-Pacific, and China’s security and foreign policy. This interview first appeared in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346215/why-iran-strikes-may-drive-asian-nuclear-race-hit-china-middle-east-zhao-tong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346215/why-iran-strikes-may-drive-asian-nuclear-race-hit-china-middle-east-zhao-tong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 22:00:10 +0000 Alcott Wei,Amber Wang Alcott Wei,Amber Wang A new type of autonomous helicopter has been seen operating on the Type 075 amphibious assault ship, possibly improving the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) capabilities in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. Mainland state broadcaster CCTV on Thursday released a video explaining the operational capabilities of China’s Type 075 amphibious assault ship. It showed a lightweight uncrewed helicopter parked on the ship with folding rotors that appeared to be slightly smaller than the PLA’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346655/could-plas-new-shipborne-drone-redefine-naval-operations-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346655/could-plas-new-shipborne-drone-redefine-naval-operations-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 14:00:10 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi The increasing military use of drones has raised questions about the future role of helicopters as countries such as China and the United States increasingly pivot towards the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Traditionally, helicopters have been used for a wide range of functions ranging from transport to surveillance, but these functions are now increasingly being taken over by pilotless aircraft. Both the Chinese and US armed forces are increasingly building up their UAS fleets –... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346602/how-are-military-helicopters-evolving-adapt-age-drone-warfare?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346602/how-are-military-helicopters-evolving-adapt-age-drone-warfare?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 22:00:10 +0000 Alcott Wei Alcott Wei China is using AI to help its radars better detect low-altitude drones, according to a top Chinese military scientist who said drone swarm tactics – as used in the US’ ongoing attack on Iran – were an emerging challenge for radar systems. Xu Jin, a leading air-defence radar expert and a member of China’s top political advisory body, the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, revealed the AI initiative in an interview with the South China Morning Post on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346493/china-announces-ai-boost-radar-drone-swarms-confound-detectors-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346493/china-announces-ai-boost-radar-drone-swarms-confound-detectors-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 09:01:31 +0000 Holly Chik Holly Chik China has become the first country to mass produce the strongest carbon fibre, which has wide applications for defence industries such as aerospace, drones and robots, state broadcaster CCTV’s military channel reported on Wednesday. The domestically developed T1200-grade fibre has a tensile strength 10 times greater than ordinary steel, yet it is less than one-tenth of a human hair in diameter, according to the state broadcaster. Mass production of the ultra-strength fibre at a projected output... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3346398/china-beats-us-japan-carbon-fibre-arms-race-create-worlds-first-t1200-factory?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3346398/china-beats-us-japan-carbon-fibre-arms-race-create-worlds-first-t1200-factory?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 04:00:12 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Serbia’s president confirmed late on Thursday that his country possesses Chinese supersonic surface-attack cruise missiles, after photos of the weapons attached to Serbian fighter jets leaked online. Photos, which began circulating on social media and defence blogs earlier this week, showed missiles believed to be Chinese-made CM-400AKG cruise missiles attached to Serbia’s Russian-made MiG-29 planes. “We have things we do not show,” President Aleksandar Vucic told Serbia’s national broadcaster... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346420/serbian-president-confirms-his-country-owns-chinese-supersonic-missiles-after-photo-leak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346420/serbian-president-confirms-his-country-owns-chinese-supersonic-missiles-after-photo-leak?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 22:47:46 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen Most of China’s nuclear warheads are located at a single facility in the country’s northwest and could be vulnerable during a conflict, according to a US think tank. In a report published this month, the US Air University’s China Aerospace Studies Institute detailed the warhead management and logistical structure of the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force. The report, based on open-source intelligence, said much of China’s nuclear stockpile was stored at a single, centralised facility known as... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346374/chinas-nuclear-warhead-storage-highly-concentrated-risk-us-report-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346374/chinas-nuclear-warhead-storage-highly-concentrated-risk-us-report-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 13:30:07 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Zhao Tong is a senior fellow with the Nuclear Policy Programme at Washington-based think tank the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and its East Asia-based research centre on contemporary China, Carnegie China. His research focuses on strategic security issues, including nuclear weapons policy, deterrence, arms control, non-proliferation, missile defence, hypersonic weapons, regional security in the Asia-Pacific and China’s security and foreign policy. SCMP Plus readers get early access... https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/military/article/3346333/us-israeli-war-iran-may-spark-nuclear-arms-race-carnegie-scholar-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/military/article/3346333/us-israeli-war-iran-may-spark-nuclear-arms-race-carnegie-scholar-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 07:39:17 +0000 Cao Jiaxuan Cao Jiaxuan China’s military on Wednesday warned the United States against allowing artificial intelligence (AI) to “determine life and death” in warfare, as a dispute between the Pentagon and AI firm Anthropic highlighted growing tensions over military use of the technology. Speaking at a regular briefing in Beijing, defence ministry spokesman Jiang Bin said the “unrestricted application of AI by the military” could “erode ethical constraints and accountability in wars” and risk a “dangerous technological... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346254/china-warns-us-against-granting-ai-ability-determine-life-and-death-battlefield?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346254/china-warns-us-against-granting-ai-ability-determine-life-and-death-battlefield?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 13:01:09 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen Just days ahead of the US-Israeli air strikes on Iran, a news report suggested that Beijing was close to selling supersonic cruise missiles to Tehran – a move that could significantly boost the Islamic Republic’s capacity to counter US aircraft carriers. Before the world could work out whether game-changing Chinese missiles really would feature in an Iranian conflict against US forces, Beijing firmly denied the report, published by Reuters on February 24. Citing six sources, Reuters reported... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346026/what-if-iran-really-did-buy-export-variant-chinas-yj-12-supersonic-missile?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346026/what-if-iran-really-did-buy-export-variant-chinas-yj-12-supersonic-missile?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 04:00:08 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen China has lowered the operational cost of an anti-drone high-power microwave (HPM) system to just a few yuan per shot, making it a cost-effective option for policing applications, according to a state media report. The launch of an urban police anti-drone swarm microwave defence system marked a further reduction in cost and increased accessibility of HPM technology as it expanded into civilian applications, state broadcaster CCTV said on Saturday. Developed by state-owned 081 Electronics Group,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346106/how-cheaply-can-china-fend-drone-swarm-its-latest-microwave-weapon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346106/how-cheaply-can-china-fend-drone-swarm-its-latest-microwave-weapon?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 11:00:11 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Beijing’s arms imports have nose-dived by nearly three-quarters over the past five years, as it has replaced overseas weapons purchases with domestic technology, according to a Swedish think tank report. However, other countries in the region have increased in their overseas weapons purchases amid “fears over China’s intentions”. A report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released on Monday said countries in Asia and Oceania imported 31 per cent of the world’s arms... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3345868/why-have-chinas-arms-imports-plummeted-72-over-past-5-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3345868/why-have-chinas-arms-imports-plummeted-72-over-past-5-years?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:16 +0000 Yuanyue Dang,Amber Wang Yuanyue Dang,Amber Wang China has earmarked a 7 per cent increase in defence spending this year, keeping the growth rate largely stable even as the White House aims to ramp up expenditure for the military. In a budget released on Thursday at the start of the annual session of the National People’s Congress (NPC), Beijing said it would allocate 1.91 trillion yuan (US$277 billion) for defence. The 7 per cent is a shade down from the 7.2 per cent rise last year but still above the 4.5 to 5 per cent GDP growth target set... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3345588/china-keeps-defence-budget-growth-steady-modernisation-deadline-looms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3345588/china-keeps-defence-budget-growth-steady-modernisation-deadline-looms?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 13:00:08 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen A key congressional advisory panel issued a warning on Monday about China’s rapidly advancing maritime capabilities and urged the Pentagon to maintain its undersea “superiority”, underscoring growing friction in US-China relations weeks ahead of a high-stakes summit next month. China has invested heavily in submarines, undersea cables and sea-floor mining, potentially undercutting the US lead in undersea warfare, commissioners and witnesses said at a hearing of the US-China Economic and Security... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3345194/us-advisory-panel-warns-china-gaining-undersea-warfare?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3345194/us-advisory-panel-warns-china-gaining-undersea-warfare?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 23:13:21 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi,Yuanyue Dang Seong Hyeon Choi,Yuanyue Dang The US and Israel’s air strikes against Iran, supported by electronic and cyber capabilities, serve as a “wake-up call” for China’s intelligence strategy and its military’s approach to deploying advanced technologies in modern warfare, analysts say. In weekend air strikes against Iran that killed its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the US struck over 1,000 targets with an array of advanced weaponry, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, stealth fighters and bombers. And for the first time... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3345123/iran-attack-seen-wake-call-chinas-electronic-warfare-and-intelligence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3345123/iran-attack-seen-wake-call-chinas-electronic-warfare-and-intelligence?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 08:42:23 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen Beijing is expected to intensify naval operations beyond Taiwan and the first island chain, military observers say, citing the possible commissioning of Type 055 “super destroyers” into the East Sea Fleet. Photographs circulating on social media in late January showed two Type 055 guided-missile destroyers moored at a naval base in Zhoushan, located on the East China Sea coast. They had also been assigned hull numbers, 109 and 110, signalling imminent commissioning into the PLA Navy. This... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3345025/what-will-first-type-055-destroyers-pla-east-china-fleet-mean-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3345025/what-will-first-type-055-destroyers-pla-east-china-fleet-mean-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 12:00:08 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan A former fighter pilot in the United States Air Force, once entrusted with flying some of America’s most advanced combat aircraft, has been arrested for allegedly training pilots from China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) without authorisation, the US Department of Justice said. In a press release on Wednesday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that 65-year-old Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., also known by his call sign “Runner”, was taken into custody in Jeffersonville, Indiana,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3344792/former-us-air-force-fighter-pilot-accused-secretly-training-chinese-military?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3344792/former-us-air-force-fighter-pilot-accused-secretly-training-chinese-military?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 22:19:03 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Washington will keep pushing China to join a trilateral nuclear control deal with the US and Russia, but can’t compel it to do so, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, citing “strategic stability” in China-US relations ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China in April, despite long-term “irritants”. “We think ultimately, in the 21st century, for there to be a true arms control agreement, it has to involve China,” Rubio said during a press conference at a meeting of the Caribbean... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344790/new-nuclear-control-agreement-should-include-us-russia-and-china-rubio?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344790/new-nuclear-control-agreement-should-include-us-russia-and-china-rubio?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 20:37:52 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The United States on Monday accused China of dramatically swelling its nuclear arsenal and doubled down on claims that Beijing had conducted secret nuclear tests, demanding again it be part of any future arms control treaty. Washington said the lapsing earlier this month of New Start – the last treaty between top nuclear powers the United States and Russia – presented the possibility of striking a “better agreement” including Beijing. Christopher Yeaw, the US assistant secretary of state for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344385/china-has-massively-expanded-its-nuclear-arsenal-claims-us-state-department?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344385/china-has-massively-expanded-its-nuclear-arsenal-claims-us-state-department?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 20:48:21 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen Beijing appears to be testing its 155mm (6.1-inch) naval gun to boost the PLA Navy’s land-attack firepower. The weapon would be the biggest in the People’s Liberation Army’s naval arsenal and could be useful in an amphibious operation against Taiwan. Photos of the massive weapon mounted on the bow of a test vessel have recently emerged on Chinese social media. The location was identified as the Liaonan shipyard in Dalian, in China’s northeastern Liaoning province. The estimated barrel length and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3344362/chinas-155mm-naval-gun-seen-test-vessel-signalling-boost-amphibious-landing-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3344362/chinas-155mm-naval-gun-seen-test-vessel-signalling-boost-amphibious-landing-power?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 13:00:08 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen China has launched its first next-generation Type 095 nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN), according to satellite imagery analysed by defence experts. It marks a significant leap as Beijing ramps up the underwater arms race to challenge US naval dominance in technology and production. Images captured between February 9 and 12 showed the vessel being fitted out at the Bohai Shipyard in Huludao, Liaoning province, according to Janes and Naval News. Defence analysts said the pictures revealed a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3344256/chinas-type-095-nuclear-submarine-spotted-first-time-new-satellite-images?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3344256/chinas-type-095-nuclear-submarine-spotted-first-time-new-satellite-images?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 14:00:09 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi China’s push to sell its J-35 fifth generation fighter jet in the Asia-Pacific was likely to face stiff competition from US rival the F-35 as well as cheaper alternatives, military analysts said after the plane featured at this year’s Singapore Airshow. They said political and economic considerations apart from performance would weigh on potential buyers, and questioned how many countries would want to buy the Chinese plane. In Singapore this month, the booth operated by China National... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3344208/can-china-find-market-its-fifth-generation-j-35-warplanes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3344208/can-china-find-market-its-fifth-generation-j-35-warplanes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 14:00:09 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen With the unveiling of the long-range hypersonic CJ-1000 missiles, China has surpassed the United States in the critical race to field practical scramjet propulsion systems, according to a mainland military magazine. Alongside the ship-launched YJ-19, the CJ-1000 road-mobile cruise missile was one of two hypersonic missiles powered by advanced air-breathing scramjet engines on show during the Victory Day military parade in Beijing in September last year. They are the world’s only two operational... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343917/how-china-overtook-us-hypersonic-arms-and-may-leave-air-defences-powerless?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343917/how-china-overtook-us-hypersonic-arms-and-may-leave-air-defences-powerless?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 22:00:35 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen A senior state department official said that the US would resume nuclear tests to match “opaque” Chinese activity, flagging new details about a 2020 test the US recently accused China of secretly conducting, as US President Donald Trump seeks a new trilateral nuclear control deal with China and Russia. “As the president has said, the United States will return to testing on an ‘equal basis’,” Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Arms Control and Nonproliferation Christopher Yeaw said on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343858/us-offers-more-details-claim-china-conducted-secret-nuclear-weapons-test?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343858/us-offers-more-details-claim-china-conducted-secret-nuclear-weapons-test?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:16:37 +0000 Liu Zhen,Zhao Ziwen Liu Zhen,Zhao Ziwen China’s Nantianmen Project – translated as Southern Celestial Gate – has captured widespread attention as a blend of science fiction storytelling and hi-tech military speculation. Launched in 2017 by a subsidiary of the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (Avic), the project originated as an aviation-themed sci-fi intellectual property (IP) rather than an active weapons development programme. At its core, the project serves as a creative vehicle to showcase more than 100... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343433/everything-we-know-about-chinas-mysterious-futuristic-nantianmen-project?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343433/everything-we-know-about-chinas-mysterious-futuristic-nantianmen-project?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 14:00:09 +0000 Liu Zhen,Zhao Ziwen Liu Zhen,Zhao Ziwen America’s increasing use of MQ-9 drones near China poses a challenge to Beijing and makes it more urgent for the People’s Liberation Army to improve counter-reconnaissance, according to military experts. The MQ-9 Reaper can carry out both reconnaissance and strike missions. It has been used for numerous high-profile operations, including the 2020 assassination of Iranian major general Qassem Soleimani. And it has been deployed as part of the US military’s surveillance network in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343673/why-growing-network-american-mq-9-drones-challenge-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343673/why-growing-network-american-mq-9-drones-challenge-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 14:00:17 +0000 SCMP Reporters SCMP Reporters We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Trump faces rare pushback within his party over tariffs as polls slide President Donald Trump faced noteworthy pushback in February over his signature tariff policy in the US Congress while his popularity slipped and more lawmakers in his party appeared willing to risk his wrath. Read the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3343380/secret-nuclear-testing-claims-military-ai-race-7-us-china-relations-reads?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3343380/secret-nuclear-testing-claims-military-ai-race-7-us-china-relations-reads?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 14:00:08 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage As France’s influence fades and with Russian weapons in limited supply, a “military vacuum” has been created in West and Central Africa that China is uniquely positioned to fill, according to analysts. In a January report in the official journal China Military to Civilian, arms supplier China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation said Beijing was leveraging its reputation for “cost-effective technology and flexible financing” in Africa. This follows a wave of military coups across... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342903/how-military-vacuum-west-and-central-africa-opened-new-markets-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342903/how-military-vacuum-west-and-central-africa-opened-new-markets-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 04:00:11 +0000 Alcott Wei Alcott Wei One of China’s most anticipated Lunar New Year holiday films features a renowned director, a cast of stars and an unusual creative consultant: the country’s top counter-espionage agency. Scare Out, which will debut in cinemas in mainland China on February 17, is the first film directly supervised by the Ministry of State Security. The ministry said it provided technical guidance for the film and that the script was based on real cases. Directed by the multi-award-winning Zhang Yimou, the film... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343536/will-chinas-state-backed-holiday-thriller-spill-details-little-known-spy-cases?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343536/will-chinas-state-backed-holiday-thriller-spill-details-little-known-spy-cases?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 23:00:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse President Donald Trump boasted on Friday about a secret US “discombobulator” weapon that can block Russian and Chinese defence systems, as he met the elite troops who captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Trump’s comments at the Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina marked the first time he has talked about the mysterious device at a public event, after previously letting some details slip in interviews. “They even talk about the discombobulator, because they never got a shot off,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343546/trump-hails-us-discombobulator-weapon-he-meets-maduro-op-troops?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343546/trump-hails-us-discombobulator-weapon-he-meets-maduro-op-troops?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 20:57:22 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang China’s official military paper has revealed another incident in which PLA fighter jets radar-locked a foreign stealth aircraft, four months after state media reported a similar encounter. A social media account affiliated with the PLA Daily said in an article published on Wednesday that Eastern Theatre Command fighter jets locked their radar onto a foreign stealth aircraft at a distance of 800 metres (2,624 feet). The article did not say when or where the encounter took place. Military... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343509/chinese-fighter-jets-locked-radar-foreign-stealth-plane-800-metres-pla-daily?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343509/chinese-fighter-jets-locked-radar-foreign-stealth-plane-800-metres-pla-daily?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 11:47:18 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang China has deployed a section of its mysterious cyberspace force to the South China Sea to remain “ready for action”, with the unit making a rare appearance in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Lunar New Year greeting to the military. Xi conveyed his Lunar New Year message to multiple branches of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) via video on Wednesday from Beijing’s Bayi Building – the headquarters of the powerful military command body, the Central Military Commission – according to state... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343312/xis-new-year-message-military-reveals-pla-cyberspace-force-post-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343312/xis-new-year-message-military-reveals-pla-cyberspace-force-post-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 12:00:12 +0000 Amber Wang Amber Wang With jets forming complex formations overhead and displays on the ground of the world’s most advanced fighters, manufacturers from the US, China, South Korea and Turkey gathered in Riyadh to pursue deals of financial and strategic weight. China exhibited model J-10CE and J-35A fighter jets at the World Defence Show, along with Wing Loong and Rainbow series drones which have been making inroads into the Middle East. Analysts noted that while Chinese drones were continuing to attract buyers,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343272/chinas-middle-east-arms-edge-overshadowed-turkey-and-south-korea-riyadh-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343272/chinas-middle-east-arms-edge-overshadowed-turkey-and-south-korea-riyadh-show?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 06:00:15 +0000 Amber Wang Amber Wang At the Middle East’s largest defence exhibition, a Chinese state-owned shipbuilding giant is showcasing a new surface-to-subsurface delivery vehicle designed for frogman operations in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait. China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) is displaying a small model of the vehicle, named SDV-01, at the World Defence Show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Running from Sunday to Thursday, the show features a substantial Chinese presence, including its naval weapons, which in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343069/china-lifts-veil-secretive-underwater-combat-vehicle-saudi-arabia-defence-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343069/china-lifts-veil-secretive-underwater-combat-vehicle-saudi-arabia-defence-show?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 10:00:32 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang An international organisation responsible for monitoring global nuclear testing has denied allegations by the United States that China has conducted secret nuclear tests. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), the global body tasked with detecting nuclear explosions, said its monitoring system “did not detect any event consistent with the characteristics of a nuclear weapon test explosion” at the time of the alleged Chinese test. Robert Floyd, the body’s executive... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3342957/why-chinas-nuclear-arsenal-under-fire-us-russia-pact-falls-apart?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3342957/why-chinas-nuclear-arsenal-under-fire-us-russia-pact-falls-apart?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 13:00:28 +0000