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South China Sea
China’s aircraft carriers
US-China relations
Military
Defence
Known as the “Flying Shark”, the J-15 is China’s first domestically developed twin-engined heavy carrier-based fighter jet. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS
China's military weapons

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.

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Corruption in China

China’s anti-corruption campaign claims 3 more top military officers

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China's military weapons

China-Pakistan jet deal with Libyan group ‘may help expand Beijing’s influence’

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US-China relations

Deal breaker? Record Taiwan arms deal complicates Trump’s 2026 Beijing visit

The US defends new arms sales and urges ‘meaningful’ dialogue, but analysts warn the deepening rift risks hollowing out the agenda for the Trump-Xi summit next year.

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An Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missile, a long-range guided weapon fired from the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), shown during a military display. Photo: Handout
An Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missile, a long-range guided weapon fired from the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), shown during a military display. Photo: Handout
China's military weapons

Is China quietly preparing cargo ships to transform into military vessels?

Containers bear the words ‘plan for the maritime revival of the Chinese nation and the community of shared future for mankind in the ocean’.

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US-China relations

Beijing sanctions 20 US defence firms over Taiwan arms sales package

10 industry executives also face punitive measures following Washington’s unveiling of a record US$11 billion weapons package.

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US-China relations

Will Trump’s battleship plan deter China or is it just a pipe dream?

Donald Trump unveils new class of ship meant to ‘inspire fear in America’s enemies’, but analysts say the initiative faces huge hurdles.

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US President Donald Trump announces plans for a new class of warships bearing his name at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday. Photo: AFP
US President Donald Trump announces plans for a new class of warships bearing his name at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday. Photo: AFP
SCMP Highlights

Fujian enters service, J-10C impresses: 10 China military developments in 2025

From hardware on show at China’s military parade to anti-drone systems, here are some of the year’s most notable People’s Liberation Army stories.

Taiwan

How Beijing’s strategy shift explains decreased PLA activity in the Taiwan Strait

PLA warplanes and ships have been less active around the island in the second half of the year, Taiwanese data shows.

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China’s military drills

China’s PLA simulated battles near Mexico, Cuba and Taiwan, CCTV report shows

Rare insight revealed on state television in footage from a PLA wargaming event in central China where dozens of systems were demonstrated.

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Screen shows red and blue opposing unit “indicators”, represented by aircraft and ships, manoeuvring near the coasts of Cuba and Mexico in footage recorded at a PLA wargaming event held in China’s Henan province. Photo: CCTV
China’s Communist Party

Top PLA Air Force duo miss key military event led by Xi as graft fight rolls on

Generals Chang Dingqiu and Guo Puxiao were not present at PLA promotions ceremony on Monday, footage broadcast by CCTV shows.

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President Xi Jinping (centre), also chairman of the CMC, poses with top military officers at the promotions ceremony in Beijing on Monday. Pictured at the back are newly promoted generals Yang Zhibin (left) and Han Shengyan. Photo: AP
President Xi Jinping (centre), also chairman of the CMC, poses with top military officers at the promotions ceremony in Beijing on Monday. Pictured at the back are newly promoted generals Yang Zhibin (left) and Han Shengyan. Photo: AP
US-China relations

Pentagon says Chinese aircraft carriers, 6th-gen fighters make US ‘vulnerable’

Report adds that Americans’ security is threatened by Beijing’s development of its ‘historic military build-up’, including nuclear arsenal.

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China's military weapons

‘Saturation attacks’: drone swarms key for wartime victory, PLA Daily says

Concentrated UAV swarms seen to allow ‘optimal combat effectiveness with minimal battlefield expenditure’.

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Taiwan

F-16V fighter jet tested as Taiwan presses US and Lockheed Martin for delivery

Taiwan’s air force says it is pushing US side on production speed and quality control amid mounting scrutiny from lawmakers over delays.

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Photos that were first posted by Owen’s Aviation Photos show at least one Taiwan-bound F-16V Block 70 two-seat aircraft undergoing taxi and systems checks at a US airfield. Photo: Handout
Mainland China

Xi promotes PLA commanders overseeing Taiwan Strait, Beijing to full general

Announcements suggest the dust has begun to settle following a massive purge in the military over corruption concerns.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (front row, second from left), who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission, and other leaders pose for a photo with the promoted military officers in Beijing on Monday. Photo: Xinhua
Chinese President Xi Jinping (front row, second from left), who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission, and other leaders pose for a photo with the promoted military officers in Beijing on Monday. Photo: Xinhua
China’s military

J-16s vs Rafales: Chinese air force puts jets to the war-game test

State broadcaster offers a look at a PLA exercise simulating an air combat scenario between Chinese and foreign forces.

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US-China relations

Pentagon’s Taiwan war games reflect US anxiety over PLA power: defence experts

Leaked report projects heavy US losses in potential cross-strait conflict and highlights Beijing’s ability to destroy warships and planes.

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Taiwan

Taiwan’s missile shield plan has ‘critical flaws’, mainland Chinese report says

Military magazine claims the island’s proposed air defence system would be unreliable against an attack by the PLA.

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Taiwan’s proposed air defence system is expected to be centred around US-made Patriot missile systems, among others. Photo: AFP
Taiwan’s proposed air defence system is expected to be centred around US-made Patriot missile systems, among others. Photo: AFP
China's military weapons

Is China’s Fujian gearing up for a dual aircraft carrier exercise?

Satellite images indicate the vessel has docked with the Liaoning at a naval base in the country’s east.

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Science

Targeted jamming incident blinds GPS and BeiDou in east China’s Nanjing

Food delivery, drone control and ride-hailing apps paralysed during satellite navigation blackout in city of nearly 10 million.

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Taiwan

Will Taiwan’s decentralised military model raise more questions than it solves?

Defence ministry briefs lawmakers on ‘heightened risk’ of sudden strike designed to paralyse command and control systems at start of conflict.

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Taiwanese military training programmes are incorporating decentralised command-and-control concepts, lawmakers have heard. Photo: EPA
US-China relations

China’s rebuilding of Micronesian airport runway raises alarm in US

At least two Chinese companies appear to be involved in the Woleai project in the strategically important region.

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The airport runway is located on Woleai, an atoll in Micronesia’s Yap state. Photo: X/Cleo Paskal
The airport runway is located on Woleai, an atoll in Micronesia’s Yap state. Photo: X/Cleo Paskal
Starlink

Foreign ship gets penalty for using Starlink within Chinese waters, report says

Unidentified vessel was found using ‘satellite communication device manufactured by a foreign company’ during inspection at Ningbo port.

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China's military weapons

Chinese military tightens review of weapons pricing to fight corruption

CMC Equipment Development Department releases new rules amid push for quality equipment and ‘professional ethics’.

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China-Japan relations

China’s military build-up could ‘seriously’ affect Japan’s security, Tokyo warns

Release of defence ministry report comes amid soaring tensions with Beijing and a boost to Japan’s military budget and goals.

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Tokyo has indicated that nearly all of the PLA’s ballistic missiles, from short-range to intercontinental systems, are capable of reaching Japanese territory. Photo: AFP
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