-
TOPIC

China's military weapons

China's military weapons
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.
Open Questions series

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

videocam
15
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

7
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

videocam
5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

videocam
18
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

videocam
93
Illustration: Henry Wong

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

videocam
40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

videocam
15
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

7
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

videocam
5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

videocam
18
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

videocam
93
Illustration: Henry Wong

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

videocam
40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
With a displacement of between 35,000 and 40,000 tonnes, the Type 075 Hainan is one of the largest amphibious assault ships in the world. Photo: Eugene Lee
Taiwan

Type 075, the PLA amphibious ‘light aircraft carrier’ key to Taiwan strategy

The Hainan and its three sister ships are expected to form the backbone of the PLA Navy’s large-scale landing capability.

videocam
Fujian Type 003 aircraft carrier

What the Fujian’s design flaws mean for China’s next aircraft carrier

videocam
41
China’s military drills

Are Western defence firms aiming at the Chinese navy in their promo videos?

21
Taiwan

PLA sends drone into airspace near Taiwan-held Pratas Island in South China Sea

Southern Theatre Command cites ‘completely legitimate’ routine flight training, while Taipei calls it ‘provocative and irresponsible’ act.

videocam
18
Pratas, bridging the Taiwan Strait and the Bashi Channel, is the largest natural island in the South China Sea and commands a vital strategic position in its northern reaches. Photo: CNA
US-China relations

‘Wartime footing’: US Navy chief unveils Trump’s Golden Fleet shipbuilding push

John Phelan says it is essential that America matches China’s superior production capacity and manufacturing workforce.

videocam
79
Iran

Why the US may find Iran’s air defence system harder to break than Venezuela’s

China’s most advanced export, the HQ-9B surface-to-air missile, is reported to be integrated into Iranian systems.

videocam
20
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
India

Opinion | Is India fuelling an arms race in Asia or closing a deterrence gap?

The challenge for New Delhi is to solve its deterrence shortfall without letting competition harden into permanent confrontation.

Indian soldiers take part in a military drill during a media tour ahead of India’s Independence Day, near the Line of Control that divides India and Pakistan at Sunderbani, Jammu and Kashmir, India, on August 12, 2025. Photo: AP
China’s air force

Chinese state media repositions sci-fi space, air combat aircraft as tech target

Military analyst on CCTV says frontier technologies reflect ‘expectations for future aerospace and space superiority’.

videocam
11
India-Pakistan tensions

Chinese arms exporters may be the big winners in any Pakistan-Saudi JF-17 talks

But observers also expressed doubts over a reported potential deal proceeding, citing US security concerns and potential F-35 sales.

videocam
8
US-Venezuela conflict

Could China execute special forces operation like US precision Maduro abduction?

The Pentagon sees China’s 20,000-30,000 special operation personnel as limited by logistics support and fragmented command structure.

videocam
110
On January 5, Nicolas Maduro is escorted towards the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan after being abducted from Caracas by US forces. Analysts ask whether China has the capacity to carry out a similar opertion. Photo: Reuters
China’s military

China set to supercharge radar, engine and AI in fifth-gen J-20 stealth fighter

Analyst tells state media Mighty Dragon’s airborne weapons are expected to have a longer range and stronger anti-interference capabilities.

videocam
35
A military analyst interviewed by state broadcaster CCTV indicates that China’s J-20 stealth fighters are set for avionics upgrades on its radar, engines and AI integration. Photo: CCTV
Taiwan

F-16 fighter crash brings fresh scrutiny to Taiwan’s ageing military equipment

Opposition politicians frame incident as readiness problem created by high operational tempo, ageing airframes and slow equipment delivery.

videocam
39
Mainland China

J-35 jet maker flexes production muscle, pledging to double output in 5 years

New video shows stealth fighter on the runway at SAC in Liaoning as state media says factory will be part of ‘Shenyang Aerospace City’.

videocam
US-China relations

Trump wants US$1.5 trillion for military. Will China boost spending too?

Analysts say Donald Trump’s military budget proposal aims to blunt China’s influence, but some dismiss the spending plan as ‘fanciful’.

videocam
87
US President Donald Trump says his administration’s tariffs on other countries will help fund his proposed increase in defence spending. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
China’s military drills

PLA drills target swarms of suicide drones – Taiwan’s front line of defence

CCTV footage shows naval unit conducting anti-drone and uncrewed target exercises as mainland China’s military launches 2026 training cycle.

videocam
17
The People’s Liberation Army has been monitoring the use of counter-drone technology on the battlefield and testing its capabilities through regular exercises. Photo: CCTV
China’s military

Opinion | How China’s history links military strength to fighting corruption

Lessons from the first Sino-Japanese War in 1895 shape Beijing’s drive to build a PLA defined by not just advanced weapons, but also institutional integrity.

videocam
8
China military reform

China’s Hurricane 3000 microwave weapon can ‘sweep and kill’ drone swarms at 3km

The Hurricane 3000 has a longer range than its US Army equivalent and can carry out ‘diverse air defence missions’, developer Norinco says.

videocam
19
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
US-Venezuela conflict

Venezuela attack seen as reminder for China to boost air defence, intelligence

Lessons for Beijing include the need to upgrade hardware, protect state secrets and prevent infiltration, experts say.

videocam
64
Venezuela had Chinese JY-27A radar systems among its air defences but the US military blinded and disrupted its defences to attack and abduct Nicolas Maduro at the weekend. Photo: Weibo
Mainland China

What if China’s KJ-600 aircraft could serve older carriers as well as Fujian?

Military magazine article speculates that interoperability may be behind the early warning plane’s lack of aerial refuelling capability.

videocam
Taiwan

Just how close did a PLA drone come to the heart of Taipei during drill?

Footage shared by a mainland military social media account shows Taipei 101 but it’s not clear when it was taken.

videocam
59
China military reform

Is China’s truck-mounted catapult system enabling merchant aircraft carriers?

Scalable truck-based launch track pictured on modified cargo ship raises questions about drone war potential.

videocam
5
Three trucks linked to form what appears to be a launch track for large drones have been spotted at a dock in China. Photo: Handout
Taiwan

Was PLA’s Taiwan drill testing ‘inexpensive’ ways to wear down air defences?

The drills were on a larger scale than previous ones and featured the use of rocket systems that could give mainland Chinese forces an edge.

videocam
44
The drill included the use of ground-based rocket launch systems. Photo: Reuters
Taiwan

Editorial | Powerful PLA drill shows US arms sales don’t help Taiwan Strait stability

As the US risks sending the wrong signal to Taiwan, Beijing has responded with an unambiguous warning against the island moving towards independence.

China’s military drills

China’s ‘carrier killer’ hypersonic missile YJ-20 in final testing: video

Chinese military’s recently unveiled longest-range missile appears to be nearing mass production.

82
Taiwan

Video | PLA conducts second day of drills around Taiwan

Troops simulate attacks on maritime targets and conduct anti-air and anti-submarine operations to the north and south of the island.

fe
02:49
US-China relations

‘No worries’: Trump plays down Beijing’s military drills around Taiwan

Trump dismisses ‘routine’ drills in Taiwan Strait even as US arms sales hit record high and Pentagon repeats 2027 timeline.

videocam
23
US President Donald Trump spoke about China’s military drills around Taiwan during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Monday. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
Science

China builds world-first crab-walking electric ICBM mobile launcher prototype

In less than two years, scientists have developed a technology that ‘fundamentally overturns’ conventional heavy-vehicle design.

videocam
23
China’s aircraft carriers

A look at China’s ‘Flying Shark’ J-15 jet that made waves near Japan

Fighter in service for more than a decade often patrols potential conflict hotspots including the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.

videocam
14
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement