https://www.scmp.com/rss/522382/feed Rand Corporation: A prominent American non-profit global policy think tank and research institute, headquartered in Santa Monica, California, with international offices including Cambridge, UK. Its primary mission is to improve public policy and decision-making through rigorous research and analysis. Rand’s extensive work spans national security, defence, healthcare, education, and international affairs. Notable for its contributions to nuclear deterrence theory, game theory, and the development... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com 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 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 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi The US is converting Cold War-era helicopters into drones, a move defence experts say could play a “critical role” in any conflict with Beijing over the Taiwan Strait. The PLA has also been retrofitting outdated aircraft to act as uncrewed drones, with both militaries unveiling similar systems within a month of each other last year. The S-70UAS U-Hawk, a fully autonomous helicopter based on the UH-60 Black Hawk, was first showcased last October at an annual American military event, where it was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3342774/black-hawk-drone-new-frontier-us-rivalry-beijing-over-taiwan-strait?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3342774/black-hawk-drone-new-frontier-us-rivalry-beijing-over-taiwan-strait?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 14:00:08 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi China’s new dry dock near the South China Sea could help it avoid having an aircraft carrier “gap” in the disputed waterway and pave the way for military outreach to the Indian Ocean, analysts said. According to a report by American geospatial intelligence company AllSource Analysis, satellite imagery on January 21 showed the first use of a new dry dock at Yulin Naval Base in the southern Chinese province of Hainan, for the likely maintenance of PLA Navy aircraft carriers. The report said... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3341270/shandongs-use-plas-newest-dry-dock-near-south-china-sea-suggests-carrier-milestone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3341270/shandongs-use-plas-newest-dry-dock-near-south-china-sea-suggests-carrier-milestone?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 10:36:10 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang It has been a turbulent year for the fraught US-China relationship. In the third part of a series looking back at the events of 2025, we examine China’s growing military might and how it’s narrowing the tech gap with the US. US defence chief Pete Hegseth told a conference in Washington this month that America would maintain a “clear-eyed appreciation” of China’s “rapid, formidable and holistic” military build-up. That build-up is being watched globally, with defence experts in recent years... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336735/why-chinas-rapid-military-build-hardly-whole-story?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336735/why-chinas-rapid-military-build-hardly-whole-story?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 22:00:09 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Rising tensions in the Middle East despite the fragile ceasefire agreement in Gaza are continuing to fuel demands for arms in a region where China has emerged as a major supplier. As well as supplying drones and missiles, China is looking to expand its offering into advanced weapons systems, such as fighter jets, but is facing increasing competition from a near neighbour: South Korea. While both have opportunities to expand arms exports, analysts said South Korea was relatively better positioned... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336039/why-south-korea-poses-major-challenge-chinas-middle-east-arms-sales-drive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336039/why-south-korea-poses-major-challenge-chinas-middle-east-arms-sales-drive?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 22:00:19 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi China’s omission of the term “denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula” from a new policy paper suggests its “tacit acceptance” of North Korea as a nuclear-armed state, as Beijing gives priority to its strategic rivalry with Washington, according to analysts. Late last month, China released a white paper on arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, outlining its national defence and nuclear policies. The document was an update of a 2005 white paper and contained a notable shift – within... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3335406/china-shifting-its-policy-and-accepting-north-korea-nuclear-armed-state?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3335406/china-shifting-its-policy-and-accepting-north-korea-nuclear-armed-state?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Dec 2025 04:00:14 +0000 Albert Bakhtizin Albert Bakhtizin This month, the Russian Academy of Sciences completed a study assessing the comprehensive strength of 193 countries across economic, technological, demographic, military, infrastructural and other dimensions. This annual assessment of national power is conducted using advanced methods of multivariate statistical analysis. The latest results, calculated for 2025 and 2026, show the global balance of power has finally shifted from the United States towards China. Also, several regional power cores... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3333151/power-balance-tips-china-world-needs-fairer-financial-system?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3333151/power-balance-tips-china-world-needs-fairer-financial-system?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 12:30:09 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi An angular F-35 fighter jet penetrates the bright blue sky over a dusty desert, its engines roaring as it goes through a series of high-speed, gravity-defying turns and high-G manoeuvres before disappearing over the horizon. About an hour later, another aircraft appears, this time a Russian Su-57 with a blended-wing design and slightly deeper engine noise that also displays its aerobatics and speed, showcasing its supersonic cruising ability before returning to the runway. These two flights on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3333538/china-us-russia-rivalry-middle-east-stealth-fighter-sales-show-dubai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3333538/china-us-russia-rivalry-middle-east-stealth-fighter-sales-show-dubai?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 12:00:18 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Australia and Japan could serve as “core” members of potential US-led pre-emptive sanctions to deter Beijing from launching a military attack on Taiwan if Washington considers the threat imminent, according to an influential American think tank. Researchers from the Rand Corporation said that if the United States expected war to break out across the Taiwan Strait “within an ensuing three to six months”, it was possible Washington would put in place economic restraints “pre-emptively in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3332235/modelling-taiwan-war-shows-us-could-recruit-australia-japan-sanctions-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3332235/modelling-taiwan-war-shows-us-could-recruit-australia-japan-sanctions-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 12:02:42 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi US President Donald Trump’s call to “immediately” resume testing of nuclear weapons, citing Beijing and Moscow’s rapid nuclear build-up, could drive China to “accelerate” its own efforts to develop its strategic forces, according to analysts. On Thursday, Trump posted on social media that he had instructed the Pentagon to start testing US nuclear weapons “on an equal basis” with Russia and China because of “other countries’ testing programmes”. “That process will begin immediately,” Trump said... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3331115/will-trumps-call-resume-nuclear-testing-fuel-us-china-arms-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3331115/will-trumps-call-resume-nuclear-testing-fuel-us-china-arms-race?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Nov 2025 14:30:23 +0000 Amber Wang,Seong Hyeon Choi Amber Wang,Seong Hyeon Choi China is expected to expand and modernise its nuclear arsenal to narrow the gap with the US and Russia following Beijing’s fresh pledge to strengthen its “strategic deterrence” to safeguard the global balance, according to analysts. The pledge was part of the proposed 15th five-year plan which was endorsed last week by the Communist Party’s Central Committee and will cover the years 2026-2030. Details of the proposal were released on Tuesday, including a pledge to “strengthen strategic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3330774/chinas-next-5-year-plan-aims-narrow-nuclear-gap-us-and-russia-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3330774/chinas-next-5-year-plan-aims-narrow-nuclear-gap-us-and-russia-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Oct 2025 15:00:19 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Would the Cold War have unfolded differently if Nikita Khrushchev had chosen a different interpreter? It is a decades-old thought experiment, born of the phrase translated as “we will bury you”, but it is chiming with today’s strategic rivalry between China and the US. Whether the statement, attributed to the then-leader of the Soviet Union in 1956, should instead have been interpreted as the less aggressive “we will outlive you”, the incident sheds light on a recurrent headache in modern... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3330459/hawkish-interpretations-rise-us-china-discourse-gets-lost-translation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3330459/hawkish-interpretations-rise-us-china-discourse-gets-lost-translation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Oct 2025 15:00:15 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen China has positioned itself as a responsible major collaborative force in AI development and governance, contrasting with a recently released survey finding that most Americans view US leadership in the field as crucial. Beijing arrived at its assessment this week as China hosted a workshop on AI capacity building, the third of its kind in two years. The week-long event in Shanghai attracted participants from more than 20 countries. Details of the discussions were not disclosed. “Artificial... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3329936/china-says-its-responsible-force-ai-most-americans-see-us-leadership-crucial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3329936/china-says-its-responsible-force-ai-most-americans-see-us-leadership-crucial?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Oct 2025 09:10:53 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang The United States could help stabilise relations with Beijing by scaling back its military activities in the South China Sea and restraining Taiwan, a think tank has suggested. Researchers from the Rand Corporation argued that stabilising the ongoing US-China rivalry was “not only possible but can serve the interests of both sides”. Although they said that the two countries were “very far from even conceptualising how their rivalry could end or be transcended”, they emphasised the need to look... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3329458/can-us-and-beijing-avoid-dangerous-levels-tension-over-taiwan-and-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3329458/can-us-and-beijing-avoid-dangerous-levels-tension-over-taiwan-and-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Oct 2025 13:00:08 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen Beneath the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean lie small, black, potato-sized treasures – polymetallic nodules rich in valuable metals and rare earth elements – waiting to be unearthed. Strewn across the sea floor of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, the coveted nodules and other forms of ocean deposits are gaining widespread attention. Yet for all their vast potential, deep-sea mining remains off-limits for now. The obstacle is not merely technological feasibility but a lack of legal... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327260/why-china-struggles-us-plunges-deep-sea-mining-valuable-metals-and-rare-earths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327260/why-china-struggles-us-plunges-deep-sea-mining-valuable-metals-and-rare-earths?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Sep 2025 22:00:10 +0000 Orange Wang,Wendy Wu Orange Wang,Wendy Wu Zheng Yongnian is a leading political scientist and government adviser in China. His academic work is mainly about contemporary politics, the country’s transformation and external relations. In his second in-depth interview with the Post, Zheng discusses AI governance and how China can consolidate its narrative amid growing geopolitical risks. This interview first appeared in SCMP Plus. For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click here. For many years, you have called for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325111/zheng-yongnian-why-china-must-look-beyond-west-build-better-ai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325111/zheng-yongnian-why-china-must-look-beyond-west-build-better-ai?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Sep 2025 22:00:15 +0000 Amber Wang Amber Wang The debut of the Jinglei-1 (JL-1) long-range missile means China has a complete air, sea and land nuclear deterrent, one that will improve with the next generation of strategic bombers, according to analysts. The JL-1 is a nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) and debuted during Beijing’s military parade last week. It appeared alongside land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) – the first time that China has publicly... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3325073/will-jl-1-missile-be-chinas-final-word-airborne-nuclear-deterrence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3325073/will-jl-1-missile-be-chinas-final-word-airborne-nuclear-deterrence?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 22:00:13 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi,Liu Zhen Seong Hyeon Choi,Liu Zhen China’s grand military parade highlighting new space, cyber and information warfare branches underscored the country’s push to weave advanced technologies into its combat strategy, according to analysts. In a show of military strength and modernisation, Wednesday’s parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II unveiled the People’s Liberation Army’s most advanced weaponry and its latest command structure reforms. The spectacle featured formations not just from... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3324524/what-did-chinas-victory-parade-reveal-about-pla-space-cyber-information-war-plans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3324524/what-did-chinas-victory-parade-reveal-about-pla-space-cyber-information-war-plans?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Sep 2025 22:00:11 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi,Amber Wang Seong Hyeon Choi,Amber Wang China put its growing deterrence power on show in Beijing on Wednesday with a slew of new nuclear missiles for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), many of which could reach the United States. Among the weapons appearing in public for the first time was the Jing Lei-1, or JL-1, long-range air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM). ALBMs are typically launched from bombers and are considered to be a pillar of a nuclear triad – a three-pronged military force structure for delivering nuclear weapons... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3324235/china-flexes-deterrence-muscle-new-missile-line-military-parade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3324235/china-flexes-deterrence-muscle-new-missile-line-military-parade?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Sep 2025 22:00:12 +0000 Alcott Wei Alcott Wei Japan is expected to deploy the US-made Typhon missile system for the first time during joint military exercises with the United States next month, according to Japanese media. Analysts view the move as a strategic signal against Beijing, especially in the event of a conflict over Taiwan. The Chinese foreign ministry criticised the move on Friday, saying Beijing firmly opposed “the US deployment of the Typhon intermediate-range missile system in Asian countries”. “The deployment of the system in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3323657/typhon-warning-china-hits-out-japan-over-us-missile-system-deployment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3323657/typhon-warning-china-hits-out-japan-over-us-missile-system-deployment?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Aug 2025 03:00:09 +0000 Amber Wang,Sylvie Zhuang Amber Wang,Sylvie Zhuang China is on a mission to turn its military into a modern fighting force. In the third of this four-part series, we look at why drones are not replacing humans on the battlefield but ‘redefining roles’. Rapid advances in drone and robot technology in recent years are reshaping modern warfare. From robot dogs to hi-tech drones, top military powers like China and the United States have technology that could – in the not too distant future – play important roles on the battlefield, while humans stay... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3323036/why-china-and-us-still-invest-costly-crewed-military-systems-when-they-have-drones?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3323036/why-china-and-us-still-invest-costly-crewed-military-systems-when-they-have-drones?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Aug 2025 22:00:12 +0000 Amber Wang Amber Wang China is on a mission to turn its military into a modern fighting force. In the second of this four-part series, we look at how its massive defence industry can support China’s military goals, and during wartime could be further bolstered by the civilian manufacturing sector. In the northeastern city of Shenyang, the future of China’s defence manufacturing capacity is rapidly taking shape – an enormous new aviation industrial complex that will eventually occupy an area about the size of 600... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3322933/china-bets-military-industrial-might-outproduce-and-outlast-rivals-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3322933/china-bets-military-industrial-might-outproduce-and-outlast-rivals-us?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Aug 2025 22:00:18 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier The US has sentenced a Chinese national to eight years in prison for illegally exporting firearms, ammunition, and other military items to North Korea via Hong Kong in return for US$2 million in payments from Pyongyang “for his efforts”, the Justice Department said on Tuesday. Taking advantage of lax US gun laws, Shenghua Wen, 42, purchased many of the weapons in Texas and drove them to California, where they were shipped out of the Port of Long Beach, according to court documents. At least one... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3322431/us-sentences-chinese-national-eight-years-smuggling-arms-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3322431/us-sentences-chinese-national-eight-years-smuggling-arms-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 21:24:14 +0000 Meredith Chen Meredith Chen The “uneasy alliance” between America’s tech elite and Donald Trump’s populist right base could undermine the country’s competitiveness against China in the long run by cutting off talent and global markets, according to analysts. They also pointed to growing ties between the tech sector and the defence industry – including a new initiative enlisting senior tech executives to the Army Reserve – saying the “tech hawks” could step up threats against China. The political influence of tech leaders... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317851/why-uneasy-alliance-between-us-tech-titans-and-maga-may-backfire-china-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317851/why-uneasy-alliance-between-us-tech-titans-and-maga-may-backfire-china-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Jul 2025 04:00:07 +0000 Enoch Wong Enoch Wong New details emerging about a rare Chinese military drill involving two aircraft carriers in the Western Pacific last month reveal that the vessels are training with greater intensity and complexity, according to experts. One analyst said that by testing themselves against each, the Liaoning and Shandong carriers could gain a level of experience that even the United States military could not gain in battle because it was usually engaged with far less powerful rivals. Since Monday, state... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3316817/how-are-chinese-aircraft-carriers-pushing-limits-and-testing-boundaries-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3316817/how-are-chinese-aircraft-carriers-pushing-limits-and-testing-boundaries-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 12:00:08 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Israel’s unprecedented success in infiltrating Iranian intelligence has opened up a “Pandora’s box” of global security threats, Chinese observers have warned, while urging China to tighten all national security measures against any vulnerabilities. According to Chinese military analyst and former air force member Fu Qianshao, one striking feature of the Middle East conflict is the critical role played by Israeli intelligence agents embedded in Iran. Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency reportedly... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3315940/china-warned-watch-security-threats-israeli-spies-iran-open-pandoras-box?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3315940/china-warned-watch-security-threats-israeli-spies-iran-open-pandoras-box?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jun 2025 10:00:26 +0000