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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.
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Diplomacy

Opinion | East Asia’s crisis of confidence in the US is militarising China’s backyard

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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China's military weapons

PLA upgrades ageing tanks with protection system for potential Taiwan operation

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China-Japan relations

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

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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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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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Illustration: Davies Christian
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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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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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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The incident is the latest ‌in a series ‌of military encounters involving China that Australia has called out publicly in similar terms. Photo illustration: Shutterstock
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.

Lan Foan, China’s finance minister, attends a news conference in 2025. Photo: VCG via Getty Images
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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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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Coordinated push from military academics reflects a broader recognition within China’s defence establishment as the People’s Liberation Army’s global footprint expands. Photo: Reuters
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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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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A Royal Australian Navy helicopter flies above the HMAS Toowoomba as it sails in the South China Sea. Photo: Handout
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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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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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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China’s CJ-1000 hypersonic cruise missile is capable of striking high-value naval and aerial assets from thousands of kilometers away. Photo: CCTV
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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The US Defence Department’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Photo: Reuters
China's military weapons

Chinese fighter jets locked radar on foreign stealth plane: PLA Daily

Military commentators say PLA aircraft cited by official military paper was likely to have been a J-16.

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CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)

Video | Chinese military officers target of new CIA video

US spy agency’s outreach, depicting a disillusioned mid-level officer, risks unsettling fragile calm before April’s Trump-XI summit.

Mainland China

After Zhang Youxia’s downfall, PLA told to be more mindful of spending

State media also spotlights deep flaws in PLA’s readiness that have surfaced during country’s widening anti-corruption drive.

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Members of the People’s Liberation Army stand at attention as Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects their combat readiness via video link in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua
China’s Communist Party

What is China’s Central Military Commission and how does it function?

The downfall of two more members of the top command body has left just Xi Jinping and one other member active.

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Zhang Shengmin is the last uniformed general remaining on the commission. Photo: Handout
Mainland China

Xi’s new year greeting reveals PLA Cyberspace Force post in South China Sea

Analyst says deployment signals Chinese military’s cyber warfare capabilities ‘are no longer confined to the mainland’.

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China's military weapons

China’s Middle East arms edge overshadowed by Turkey and South Korea in Riyadh

Analysts note Chinese inroads in military UAV market but political challenges for its jet fighters at the World Defence Show.

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