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China’s military

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China’s military
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 US Air Force’s E-4B Nightwatch plane can act as a “flying Pentagon” in the case of a national emergency. Photo: Handout
US-China relations

Chinese student charged with illegally taking photos of US military planes

Student taken into custody after allegedly photographing sensitive military aircraft near key air force base in Nebraska during US road trip.

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US-China relations

Trump’s military push confronts US lawmakers and China’s shipbuilding edge

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China's military weapons

How the PLA may use stealth drones in a swarming boat attack from Taiwan

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US-China relations

US warns of China’s ‘invasion rehearsals’ as Trump seeks record military budget

Washington puts spotlight on Beijing’s Taiwan, space operations during hearing on US military’s combat readiness for next year.

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US President Donald Trump announces the US Navy’s “Golden Fleet” battleship programme at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, in December 2025. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS
Mainland China

Chinese rocket force scientist Major General Feng Yufang dies aged 63

Feng advocated for self-reliance, once saying ‘core technologies cannot be bought and relying on imports will not get us far’.

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Taiwan

How lessons from Iran war could shape mainland China’s Taiwan calculus

US strengths and strains offer Beijing a playbook, but key differences limit how far the conflict can guide future military strategy.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | How America’s stumble in Iran upends East Asia’s security calculus

A region where US allies lose faith in Washington won’t necessarily embrace Beijing; it is a region more likely to reach for its own guns.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China's military weapons

PLA upgrades ageing tanks with protection system for potential Taiwan operation

Type 96A main battle tanks from Eastern Theatre Command now have APS to counter drones and anti-tank missiles, according to state media.

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China-Japan relations

Chinese navy arrives in Sea of Japan just as Tokyo deploys long-range missiles

Five ships transit Tsushima Strait and are tracked heading northeast after China warned of strong response to ‘neo-militarism’.

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Japan

Japan plans to deploy missiles to a faraway island in the Pacific. Here’s why

The deployment is a response to China’s military activity near Minamitorishima, a defence ministry researcher says.

Japan’s Ground Self-Defence Force unveils a Type 12 coastal defence anti-ship missile launcher vehicle during a training exercise in June last year. Photo: Handout
Science

Liu Guozhi, once top PLA scientist, wiped off Chinese Academy of Sciences site

High-power microwave weapon expert was elected to the nation’s top scientific body in 2009.

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Liu Guozhi, 65, once headed the science and technology commission of the Central Military Commission – China’s top military decision-making and command body. Photo: Handout
US-China relations

US tracks 23 Chinese port projects in Latin America, general tells Congress

Top US commander says Chinese port and space projects across Latin America are all seen as potential dual-use military assets.

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Science

How China gets more bang for its military buck than the US

The country’s military modernisation integrates civilian scientific and industrial capabilities into defence innovation allowing rapid development.

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China's military weapons

China announces AI boost to radar as drone swarms confound detectors in Iran war

Technology allows radar to observe moving targets from multiple angles, gain dynamic information – and even identify potential decoy drones.

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Chinese radar expert Xu Jin says “accurate detection of a large number of drones requires a massive amount of processing power, posing a challenge to traditional radar detection”. Photo: Shutterstock
US-China relations

Mainland Chinese see Taiwan positively, won’t retreat from US trade war: survey

China Pulse polling study gives rare window into views of ordinary people on mainland, where opinions are often restricted or even banned.

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Tourists strike a pose next to a giant Ultraman inflatable displayed at Kaohsiung Wonderland during the Lunar New Year holidays in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in February. Photo: AFP
Australia

Australia complains to China after encounter between military helicopters

Australia says the Chinese aircraft made an ‘unsafe’ manoeuvre, while China called the statement ‘distortions of facts’.

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Two Sessions 2026

China draft budget report 2026

The Ministry of Finance released its draft 2026 budget plan, featuring a 7 per cent increase in defence spending.

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China-Middle East relations

Why China is staying on the sidelines of the US-Iran conflict

Decision based on consideration of Beijing’s own interests as well as its ties with Washington and others, analysts say.

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Since the large-scale attacks by the US and Israel against Iran began over the weekend, Beijing has limited its response to diplomatic statements. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Exclusive | US, China discuss investment revival ahead of Trump’s trip: sources

Both sides exploring structured joint ventures and licensing deals, with Beijing seeking protection and Washington eyeing better market access amid declining capital flows.

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Two Sessions 2026

Language as a weapon? PLA academics seek training overhaul, cite Ukraine war

Digitised battlefields demand new breed of soldier, as skilled at data analysis and psy-ops as at wielding a weapon, veteran instructor says.

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Two Sessions 2026

‘Two sessions’, Trump tariffs, JD.com earnings

This week: Lawmakers ready for China’s ‘two sessions’, Trump imposes new global tariffs, Germany’s Merz meets Xi. Next week: JD.com reports earnings, toughened trade measures kick in, manufacturing PMI comes outs, Honor debuts robot, and more.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Photo: AP
US-China relations

Ex-US Air Force fighter pilot accused of secretly training Chinese military

Gerald Eddie Brown Jr allegedly provided ‘defence services’ after 24-year Air Force career training US pilots on advanced combat aircraft.

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A US Air Force F-35C Lightning II lands on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea on February 12. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Pentagon to spend US$12 billion on surveillance, eyeing China’s build-up in Asia

The move targets Chinese manoeuvres, submarines and satellites in the Indo-Pacific, and strikes a contrast with Trump’s call for closer ties.

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China-Australia relations

Beijing monitors Australian frigate Toowoomba’s passage through Taiwan Strait

Anzac-class frigate ‘conducted a routine transit through the South China Sea’, Australian defence department says.

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China's military weapons

Can China find a market for its fifth-generation J-35 warplanes?

Analysts are uncertain how much demand there will be for the fighter in the face of competition from the US F-35 or cheaper alternatives.

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A J-35A stealth fighter at the Zhuhai Airshow in 2024. Photo: Xinhua
US-China relations

White House deflects as Trump weighs Taiwan arms sale delay amid Beijing pressure

New weapons package said to be in jeopardy ahead of Trump-Xi summit, raising concerns over Beijing’s leverage and US policy on Taiwan.

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Taiwanese soldiers launch a US-made tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided (TOW)-2A missile from a M1167 TOW carrier vehicle at the Fangshan training grounds in Pingtung on August 26, 2024. Photo: Reuters
China's military weapons

With first missile of its kind, China overtakes US in hypersonic defence: report

A big reason is the long-range CJ-1000, the world’s first and so far only operational land-based scramjet-powered hypersonic missile.

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US-China relations

Pentagon adds Chinese firms to military list, then withdraws filing

Move weeks before Trump-Xi summit highlights mixed signals from Washington and injects fresh uncertainty into fragile US-China truce.

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