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China military reform

China military reform
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.
The Moyujian’s next round of testing will be “a target test mission using satellite communication and beyond visual line of sight control, at an altitude of over 6,000 metres”. Photo: CCTV
China's military weapons

China’s unmanned Moyujian strike helicopter is ready for plateau combat tests

At Aero Asia in Zhuhai, developer says it put high-altitude drone with missiles through live-fire target tests above 4,000 metres.

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China's military weapons

Is China’s rapid anti-submarine drone progress adding to concerns of Japan, US?

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China’s military

Chinese military issues new rules to ‘prioritise strict political discipline’

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China's military weapons

China’s scandal-hit arms firms drag down regional sales in record-breaking year

SIPRI Top 100 reveals stark divide in performance for the only region to record a drop in the midst of rising revenues globally.

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Chinese military aviation and shipbuilding companies in the Top 100 have seen increased revenues, while providers of ground-based arms on the list fared less well. Photo: Getty Images
China’s military drills

Could the PLA use long-range rockets against ships in an attack on Taiwan?

State TV footage shows PHL-03 launchers hitting moving maritime targets during drill.

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Taiwan

Taiwan’s William Lai accused of stoking fear with 2027 countdown confusion

Critics question where the money will come from to finance Lai’s plans for a massive increase in military spending.

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China’s military

China has minimal nuclear arsenal, seeks no arms race with US: white paper

Document criticises Trump’s planned Golden Dome system, saying it would ‘pose a serious threat to outer space security’.

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In a white paper published on Thursday, China says it “has long exercised extreme restraint in the scale and development of its nuclear arsenal”. Photo: Xinhua
War and conflict

Opinion | Why advances in conventional weapons tech should worry China, Russia and US

Washington, Beijing and Moscow must realise that rapid expansion of precision non-nuclear strike capabilities does not deter war, but instead invites miscalculation.

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China’s military

China’s private defence companies see opportunities amid growing conflicts

Ukraine war and Kashmir conflict highlight ‘broad stage’ for firms to meet demand for affordable and reliable equipment, insiders say.

China's military weapons

China’s military eases physical requirements for pilots based on new cockpits

Changes have been made to height, weight and limb length criteria, taking into account factors like aircraft upgrades, PLA Daily says.

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The PLA has widened pilot recruitment in the past few years to meet the needs of its rapidly expanding aircraft carrier fleet and air force. Photo: Xinhua
China's military weapons

China-US-Russia rivalry for Middle East stealth fighter sales on show in Dubai

Analysts say China’s increasingly competitive J-35 is the one to watch among non-US allies as market splits on geopolitical lines.

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Models of China’s J-35A and J-10CE fighter jets on display at this year’s Dubai Air Show, which opened on Monday. Photo: Handout
China’s fourth plenum

Opinion | 15th five-year plan charts a course for China’s modernisation

By building on past successes and shoring up areas of weakness, China can lay firm foundations to achieve socialist modernisation.

China’s military drills

China’s aircraft carriers put to ‘train-as-you-fight’ test beyond island chains

PLA Daily sheds new light on navy’s drills to increase launch frequency and far-sea combat readiness.

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South China Sea

Opinion | How does China’s modernising navy stack up against the US seventh fleet?

Between what the US can sustain in the region vs what China can concentrate near its shores, the calculation increasingly favours Beijing.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China's military weapons

China’s first 076 ‘drone carrier’ amphibious assault ship begins sea trials

Extended flight deck makes Type 076 one of the world’s largest vessels of its kind, with PLA Navy delivery expected by end of 2026.

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China’s first drone-carrying Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, on its maiden sea trial on Friday. Photo: Xinhua
China’s fourth plenum

How Xi’s ongoing battle against PLA corruption shapes China’s military future

The fight against graft in the armed forces is set to become one of the national priorities for the next five years.

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China's military weapons

Images suggest China is building its first nuclear-powered carrier

War Zone report says hull of Type 004 being built in Dalian has what might be a reactor containment structure.

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China’s military

Meet Ma Weiming, the Chinese naval genius behind the Fujian’s catapult

Ma, father of the carrier’s electromagnetic launch system, is among a select few at the vessel’s commissioning ceremony.

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Rear Admiral Ma Weiming, as he appeared in 2017 on state television advocating for China to develop an electromagnetic catapult system for its next aircraft carrier. Photo: CCTV
United States

Opinion | Trump’s nuclear turn risks upsetting fragile global strategic balance

US president may have wanted to project strength, but nuclear weapons testing could further isolate America and spark a new cold war.

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China's military weapons

China’s Pacific power takes strategic leap with new carrier

The commissioning of the Fujian, China’s third aircraft carrier, extends the nation’s reach into the Pacific, provided it can overcome the challenges of operating a blue-water navy.

China's military weapons

China’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, enters service

World’s largest conventionally powered warship makes China the second country to field a carrier with electromagnetic catapults after the US.

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The Fujian, China’s newest aircraft carrier, is commissioned on Wednesday in Sanya, Hainan province. Photo: Xinhua
US-China relations

China could win a contest with the US ‘before a shot is even fired’: strategists

Decades of neglect and decline have made logistics the weakest link in Washington’s deterrence strategy in the Pacific, they said.

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Two experts have warned that US military power is dependent on a long and tenuous logistical network that could be easily targeted. Photo: US Navy
Corruption in China

To win wars, PLA must fight corruption, China’s military mouthpiece declares

Military ‘must not be a hiding place for corrupt elements’, PLA Daily warns following major reshuffle at Communist Party conclave.

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US-China relations

China can learn US lessons to unleash military power of civilian tech, researcher says

Successful firms such as SpaceX, Palantir and Anduril are part of an agile American ecosystem, according to adviser.

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China's military weapons

Why top Chinese scientist warned public against ‘hubris’ over country’s advances

Rocket specialist Zhao Ruian has urged the Chinese people to remain calm about hi-tech weapons because ‘true breakthroughs lie in 2050’.

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The Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship and a Long March-2F carrier rocket are transferred to the launch area in October 2024. Zhao Ruian’s work helped in the development of the launch vehicle for the Shenzhou crewed space programme. Photo: Xinhua
China's military weapons

The aircraft carrier champion and naval genius behind China’s blue sea strategy

Admiral Liu Huaqing was a visionary who transformed a backward military force into a modern, effective presence in the South China Sea.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China's military weapons

China’s Z-20T assault helicopter thrills public in rare military show demo

Black Hawk rival showcases advanced combat capabilities, cutting-edge weaponry at Tianjin arms exhibition.

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China's military weapons

Chinese arms makers urged to embrace AI technology in weapons development

State-run defence industry magazine says the tech can be used to improve efficiency and quality, though it should be approached with caution.

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