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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.
China’s stealth attack drone GJ-21 has been spotted carrying out flight tests this month over Huludao in Liaoning province. Photo: Weibo
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

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China's military weapons

Did the Chinese navy fire a radar-absorbing YJ-18A anti-ship missile in sea trial?

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China’s rocket force

China seeks public tips on procurement violations in PLA Rocket Force probe

Authorities asked for clues about problems in PLARF’s purchases spanning all stages of the process and different forms of procurement.

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The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force was established in 2015 and oversees some of the Chinese military’s most important assets. Photo: Xinhua
Mainland China

Be wary of defence contractors, Chinese study warns, pointing to US system

China should take note of the way profit-seeking players in the United States have undermined its national security, researchers say.

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Science

China’s J-36 fighter jet designers report danger of military AI hallucinations

Content generated by artificial intelligence models can ‘defy basic physics, design principles or operational constraints’.

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US-China relations

Harvard, MIT among 30 US universities ordered to audit China research ties

Higher education group says Pentagon implied wrongdoing without presenting evidence, as House China committee calls for ‘real consequences’.

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Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is among 30 US universities ordered to audit their foreign research relationships. Photo: AP
China’s military drills

PLA troops sent New Taiwan and US dollars in ‘wartime financial support’ drill

A drone was used to deliver camouflage cases filled with gold bars and bundles of cash, according to state newspaper report.

US-China relations

Pentagon orders 30 US universities to scrutinise Chinese research ties

Institutions have two weeks to audit foreign collaborations and could be required to terminate partnerships to preserve federal funding.

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US-China relations

Chinese drone maker DJI gets another shot at Pentagon blacklist removal

Latest ruling gives Shenzhen-based company hope after years-long legal battle with the US Department of Defence.

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DJI products like the Mavic 2 Pro have proven popular in the US. The Shenzhen-based company is challenging its inclusion on a Pentagon blacklist of firms allegedly linked to the Chinese military. Photo: Getty Images
China's military weapons

Could new transport-tanker capability boost PLA power past first island chain?

Convertible Y-20B aircraft give PLA Air Force operational flexibility to project power deeper into the western Pacific.

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A CCTV programme says the Y-20B can switch between transport and aerial refuelling missions, which observers say has implications for sorties and other air operations beyond the first island chain. Photo: CCTV
Science

China is sending scientists to Iran for rare earth ‘exploration and processing’

Chinese and Iranian natural science foundations include the strategically sensitive metals in this year’s joint workshop programme.

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China’s military drills

Chinese paratrooper killed in Qinghai exercise as PLA acknowledges casualties

Death of 23-year-old was one of two parachute-related incidents in consecutive months recently made public by the PLA.

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

Why did US defence official Colby avoid mentioning China in Manila speech?

Some analysts attribute the restraint to a desire to avoid antagonising Beijing ahead of next month’s expected Xi-Trump summit.

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Despite speaking of Washington’s oldest treaty ally in Asia, US defence official Elbridge Colby avoided addressing the escalating maritime tensions between the Philippines and China. Photo: AP
China's military weapons

Why submarine attacks may prove the Achilles’ heel for China’s new carrier fleet

The PLA Navy is still lagging behind the US in undersea warfare, according to a report highlighting some of its ongoing vulnerabilities.

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China is rapidly expanding its carrier fleet, but the ships may be vulnerable to submarine attacks. Photo: CCTV
US-China relations

US judge blocks Pentagon’s ‘Chinese military’ label for WuXi AppTec

Court finds defence officials misread evidence involving a state-linked fund, Chinese universities and a PLA hospital.

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China’s air force

Chinese military unveils AI system to plan and coordinate mass air strikes

The support system is designed to support exercises involving ‘hundreds of targets and dozens of formations’, according to state media.

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Mainland China

Chinese pilot who landed safely after cabin leak given first-class merit award

PLA Navy flier Yang Yong tells state broadcaster he was forced to stay at altitude for several minutes despite the extreme danger he faced.

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PLA Navy test pilot Yang Yong is a much decorated officer. Photo: CCTV
China's military weapons

China’s military modernisation

Chinese President Xi Jinping is boosting the nation’s defence capabilities ahead of the 2027 centenary of the People’s Liberation Army, overseeing improvements in hardware and high-level purges of generals.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA)

PLA 99th Anniversary

As the People’s Liberation Army marks its 99th anniversary on August 1, one year from the deadline for its centenary goals, its evolution highlights the past, present and future of China’s military strategy.

China military reform

The PLA at 99: how China’s military went from ragtag rifles to world-class force

From revolutionary group to hi-tech machine, the PLA’s transformation has been a long pursuit of strength and self-reliance.

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Illustration: Davies Christian
China’s military drills

Could US subterranean warfare be a future threat to China’s military defences?

Underground warfare could challenge China’s early-warning reliance on satellites and ground-based radars, think tank says.

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In the United States there are calls for the Earth’s deep places to be recognised as a possible dimension of future warfare. Photo: Getty Images
US-China relations

Open Questions | Ex-PLA colonel on US’ decline and China’s nuclear arsenal

Zhou Bo of Tsinghua University weighs US’ commitment to Taiwan, how big a nuclear deterrent China needs and the risks of AI warfare.

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Defence

How Trump’s call for Asia-Pacific allies to raise defence spending may backfire

The president hopes his demands will benefit the US defence industry but analysts believe local arms makers may be the main beneficiaries.

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US-China relations

Pentagon official hails ‘stronger’ military ties with PLA at anniversary event

Speaking at the Chinese embassy, US deputy assistant defence secretary Alvaro Smith says ‘clear, steady progress’ is being made.

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Pentagon official Alvaro Smith (left) with Chinese ambassador Xie Feng (centre) and defence attaché Major General Liu Zhan at China’s embassy in Washington on Tuesday. Photo: qq.com
Taiwan

Why PLA jet sorties near Taiwan dropped to a 3-year low in first half of 2026

Beijing is shifting cross-strait military strategy, halving aerial missions and increasing coastguard patrols in the waters near the island.

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Illustration: Davies Christian
Taiwan

Beijing conducts live-fire drills in Taiwan Strait after criticising Lai speech

Beginning of exercise coincides with completion of Beijing’s fisheries resources survey conducted in waters east of Taiwan.

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US-China relations

Trump order targets China-linked military mineral supply chains

US defence contractors must identify critical mineral sources and reduce dependence on Beijing-linked materials.

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