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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

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

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

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

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

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

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Illustration: Henry Wong

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

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

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15
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

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

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

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

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5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

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18
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

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93
Illustration: Henry Wong

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

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
ICBMs

Open Questions | Why Iran war may drive East Asia nuclear race, hit China in Mideast: Zhao Tong

Carnegie nuclear policy expert says law of the jungle signalled by US actions could spur more countries to pursue nuclear weapons.

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UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles)

Could PLA’s new shipborne drone redefine South China Sea naval operations?

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Defence

How are military helicopters evolving to adapt to the age of drone warfare?

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Artificial intelligence

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
Science

China beats US, Japan in carbon-fibre arms race with world’s first T1200 factory

‘Black gold’ fibre deemed transformative for energy and military purposes, EV innovations, medical devices and low-altitude economy.

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Nato

Serbia confirms it owns Chinese supersonic missiles after photo leak

‘We have a significant number of those missiles and we will have even more,’ Aleksandar Vucic said, adding they were ‘extremely effective’.

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ICBMs

China’s nuclear warhead storage a ‘highly concentrated risk’, US report says

Much of the stockpile is stored at one facility in the country’s northwest that’s accessible only by a narrow road, according to think tank.

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Beijing has reportedly expanded its nuclear stockpile in recent years. Photo: AFP
China-Japan relations

Open Questions | War on Iran may spark nuclear arms race, Carnegie scholar says

Zhao Tong says return to law of the jungle signalled by current US actions could spur countries without nuclear weapons to start acquiring them.

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Artificial intelligence

China warns US against letting AI ‘determine life and death’ on battlefield

China believes that human primacy must be upheld in military applications of AI, defence ministry spokesman says.

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Hypersonic missiles and weapons

What if Iran really did buy export variant of China’s YJ-12 supersonic missile?

Beijing has denied a report that it was close to selling the ‘aircraft-carrier killer’ to Tehran, but it would be a game-changer against US.

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The CM-302 supersonic anti-ship missile system, which the Iranians were said to be interested in, was launched to the international market in 2016. Photo: Dickson Lee
Drones

How cheaply can China fend off a drone swarm with its latest microwave weapon?

HPM technology has become cost-effective enough to be applied against drones in public security situations, state media report.

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China’s urban police anti-drone swarm microwave defence system. Photo: CCTV
Pakistan

Why have China’s arms imports plummeted 72% over the past 5 years?

Neighbours in Asia and Oceania increase their overseas weapons purchases amid ‘fears over China’s intentions’.

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Two Sessions 2026

China keeps defence budget growth steady as modernisation deadline looms

Beijing plans to set aside 7 per cent more for the military this year, with the total still a fraction of US spending.

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US-China relations

US advisory panel warns China is gaining in undersea warfare

Commission urges Pentagon to preserve underwater edge as Beijing expands submarines, unmanned systems and seabed ambitions.

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China has rapidly modernised its submarine fleet, narrowing the undersea capability gap with the United States, according to US officials. Photo: AFP
China-Middle East relations

Iran attack a ‘wake-up call’ for China on electronic warfare and intelligence

Retired PLA colonel urges China to watch out for ‘internal infiltration and intelligence leaks’ and boost ‘security around critical targets’.

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An image taken from Israeli military footage shows what it says are large-scale strikes on “the headquarters of the Iranian terror regime” in Tehran on March 1. Photo: Handout
China’s navy

What will first Type 055 destroyers for PLA East China Fleet mean for Taiwan?

Two of the guided-missile destroyers with hull numbers assigned have been spotted at a naval base on the East China Sea coast.

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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

China, Russia should join US in new nuclear arms control deal: Rubio

Secretary of State says US and China now have ‘strategic stability’ in their long-fractious relationship as crucial Trump-Xi summit nears.

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters following meetings with Caribbean Community leaders, at Saint Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday. Photo: AP
US-China relations

China has ‘massively expanded’ its nuclear arsenal, claims US State Department

Beijing’s UN ambassador Shen Jian said China opposes the smearing of its nuclear policy and ‘would not engage in any nuclear arms race’.

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Defence

China’s 155mm naval gun on test vessel signals boost to amphibious landing power

The weapon – reportedly capable of firing guided munitions – represents a significant upgrade for PLA Navy.

Mainland China

Satellite images show first glimpse of China’s Type 095 nuclear submarine

Next-generation SSN features advanced acoustic stealth and strike capacity, narrowing tech gap with rival US.

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The Chinese navy has been rapidly expanding its SSN fleet amid an intensifying underwater arms race in the region. Photo: Shutterstock
China military reform

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
China military reform

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

US offers more details on claim China conducted secret nuclear weapons test

State Department official says China’s alleged 2020 test was ‘a singular explosion’, confirms US will return to nuclear testing.

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Science fiction

Everything we know about China’s mysterious, futuristic Nantianmen Project

Is it a storytelling vehicle for imaginative military hardware, blending science fiction with reality, or is it a glimpse of the future?

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A CCTV report said the “space-sky integrated” fighter jets of the sci-fi Nantianmen Project would one day become reality. Photo: CCTV
US military

Why the growing network of American MQ-9 drones is a challenge for China

Reapers can carry out both reconnaissance and strike missions and an increasing number of US allies and partners are buying them.

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The MQ-9 Reaper has been deployed as part of the US military’s surveillance network in the Indo-Pacific. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

Sudden Xi-Trump call, secret nuclear testing claims: 7 US-China relations reads

From China’s grip on minerals to the US’ Apec plans, here are highlights from our overseas correspondents in the first half of February 2026.

China-Africa relations

How a ‘military vacuum’ in West and Central Africa opened new markets for China

Beijing has increased engagement with countries in the Sahel following the French military exit, and with Russian weapons in short supply.

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