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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.
Analysts say the US strategic ambiguity policy on Taiwan was formed when the US military was much stronger that the PLA. Photo: EPA
Taiwan

Is this the best time for US strategists to push to abandon ambiguity on Taiwan?

Trump’s quiet approach to Taiwan opens door for debate on ending decades-old US policy of strategic ambiguity.

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The Philippines

No ‘new model’: Philippines stands firm on cutting maritime hotlines with China

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Science

China is working on a submarine tank that can operate underwater for 2 hours

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China-India relations

Opinion | Despite a China-India thaw, military relations are stuck in 2020

Xi and Modi have shaken hands, border trade has reopened and direct flights have restarted – but their armies are still not talking to each other.

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Illustration: Huy Truong
South China Sea

Did a US warship lose power chasing a PLA destroyer in the South China Sea?

PLA Navy officer tells state media the unnamed foreign ship’s ‘radar stopped transmitting and its navigation lights went dark’.

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China-Africa relations

Opinion | How China’s hospital ships build long-term influence in Africa

A surgery performed or a child delivered safely aboard a PLA medical vessel can leave memories long after the ship has departed.

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US-China relations

US blast simulation targets China’s alleged secret nuclear testing

US Energy Department conducts underground explosive test in Nevada designed to detect low-yield nuclear explosions from China.

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DF-5C nuclear missiles on display during a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing on September 3, 2025. Photo: Reuters
US military

Why US missile shortfalls raise stakes for a potential Taiwan Strait conflict

Ammunition could prove to be the defining issue as mainland China’s defence industry appears to be operating at an elevated tempo.

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Science

Chinese researchers say missile lidar model can spot US F-35 at up to 61.5km

Chinese air force supplier models airborne single-photon lidar to spot stealth fighters without triggering radar or heat sensors.

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Mainland China

China takes strategic military step overseas with new Laos air force centre

Beijing says jointly operated facilities at Ban Keun Airport will support pilot training and deepen cooperation between the two militaries.

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Chinese and Laotian military personnel attend the opening of a joint humanitarian medical exercise in Vientiane earlier this month. Photo: Xinhua
2026 Xi-Trump summits

China resuming US coal imports among thin list of summit outcomes

President Xi Jinping agreed to buy at least 10 million tonnes of US coal in each of the next two years after a White House summit with US President Donald Trump.

Photo: Getty Images
Diplomacy

Opinion | How China is seeking to transform the meaning of great power

By promoting a more just world order, Beijing hopes to exercise influence without making domination the organising principle of international relations.

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

Beijing says US, China to pursue military crisis-communication pact

Chinese account says militaries will conclude a memorandum ‘as soon as possible’, but Washington has not publicly confirmed it.

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

How China’s wartime cooperatives gave us ‘gung-ho’

Trump’s mention of a ‘Chinese phrase’ may have puzzled some, but the US Marine Corps adopted gung-ho from the name of wartime cooperatives.

Not only has gung-ho – derived from the Chinese gong he – entered the English dictionary, but it also features in the names of several awards associated with the US Marine Corps. Photo: The Boston Globe via Getty Images
UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles)

Eyeing Ukraine, China’s military doctors voice progress on drone-caused injuries

Head, face and neck injuries are becoming a big problem in armed conflicts dominated by uncrewed aerial vehicles.

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The rising number of cranio-maxillofacial injuries has prompted changes to military medical treatment protocols around the world. Photo: Shutterstock
China's military weapons

Could China’s sixth-generation fighter carry a laser to defend against missiles?

Beijing expo display offers strongest public hint yet that China is developing airborne laser systems for advanced fighter aircraft.

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

Exclusive | China, US may unveil measures to boost military ties when Xi visits Washington

Two sides have been discussing ways to improve communication channels, according to sources familiar with the talks.

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US-China relations

Defence chief Dong Jun omits Taiwan in milder Xiangshan Forum address

Retired PLA colonel says defence minister’s speech signals growing confidence and lower tension with US.

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China’s Defence Minister Dong Jun attends the Beijing Xiangshan Forum on Wednesday. Photo: X.com/XiangshanForum
China military reform

Fragility and cooperation: takeaways from Dong Jun’s Xiangshan Forum speech

The Chinese defence minister officially opens the security conference with a warning about ‘zero-sum’ mindsets.

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China-India relations

Will ‘transactional’ America assist India in a future border crisis with China?

India’s relations with US have frayed over trade and tariffs recently, but strong defence ties still remain between the two countries.

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China's military weapons

For China, H-6N bomber enhances nuclear deterrence and second-strike capability

Country’s nuclear triad complete as airborne leg supplements intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

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The H6 is the only strategic bomber of the People’s Liberation Army. Photo: Handout
Science

J-50 design team reveals leapfrog tech for China’s next-gen stealth fighters

The aircraft are expected to have futuristic systems for self-flying and large-scale drone wingman squads.

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An image of what appears to be one of China’s sixth-generation fighters, sometimes referred to as the J-50 and consistent with designs developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, surfaced on Chinese social media late last year. Chinese authorities did not confirm the authenticity of the images. Photo: Handout
China's military weapons

Beijing boosts Taiwan-facing firepower with brigade-level 155mm howitzers

Upgrade for Eastern Theatre Command’s 71st Group Army streamlines PLA’s firepower across land and sea as US artillery programmes lag.

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Mainland China

Revise Chinese military university’s AI course to ‘educate for war’: researchers

Proposal sees mapping out defence scenarios as better preparation for future officers involved in intelligent warfare.

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AI: Science

Chinese military’s AI attack chain lags foreign models: researchers

PLA focuses largely on support functions while offensive combat uses are exploratory, says paper that drew heavily on US military analysis.

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China’s military has yet to develop a sufficiently large pool of personnel trained systematically in AI and big data, according to the researchers. Photo: Shutterstock
US military

US looks to warship designs from Japan, South Korea and Turkey, reports say

It comes after Trump signed a memorandum calling for foreign shipbuilding capacity and investment as US industry struggles to meet demand.

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Japan’s Mogami-class frigate is said to be among designs being considered by the US. Photo: Kyodo
China's military weapons

China tests GJ-21 stealth drone as Sichuan Type 076 enters final sea trials

Social media clips show naval combat drone over Liaoning province while Beijing’s catapult-equipped drone carrier prepares for deployment.

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Taiwan

How typhoons and extreme weather could undermine Taiwan Strait combat readiness

This year’s storms and record temperatures highlight how climate conditions can disrupt military planning and operations.

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