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China’s military drills

China’s military drills
Latest news and updates on military drills involving the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), including manoeuvres near Taiwan and joint exercises with other nations.
The 71st Group Army of the People’s Liberation Army in recent months has been equipped with a batch of PLZ-05 155mm self-propelled howitzers. Photo: CCTV
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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Diplomacy

Opinion | The significance of China’s joint air force drills with Egypt

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China's military weapons

Export potential? Chinese YY-20 refuels Egyptian Rafale in cross-platform drill

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

Chinese J-16 fighters arrive in Egypt for Eagles of Civilisation joint drill

Multi-role PLA fighters travel 6,000km to take part in their first African deployment, refuelling in mid-air along the way.

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China military reform

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.

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China’s military

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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Chinese media say paratrooper Xia Shiyuan, from Huaiyuan county in eastern Anhui province, encountered an emergency shortly after leaving his mid-air aircraft during a scheduled exercise in Golmud, Qinghai province, on May 27. Photo: Weibo/合新闻
South China Sea

Powerful anti-drone laser spotted on PLA amphibious ship in South China Sea

Analysts say deploying the LY-1-equipped vessel during Scarborough Shoal drill was meant to send a message to Manila and Washington.

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China-Japan relations

Has China’s missile force got America’s Kadena base in Japan in its sights?

Satellite image of facility that appeared to be the Okinawa airbase seen in state television documentary as PLA officer discussed drills.

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China’s military

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

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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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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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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The People’s Liberation Army will conduct live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait from 6am to 6pm on Thursday and Friday, according to a mainland navigation warning. Photo: File picture/CCTV
China's military weapons

What China’s carrier recruitment drive says about PLA Navy’s long-term ambitions

Beijing is committed to building a fleet that can operate far from home – even in the face of the growing threat from anti-ship missiles.

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A J-35 prepares for a catapult launch on the deck of the Fujian, China’s most advanced carrier. Photo: Xinhua
China's military weapons

What does China’s J-16 jet ‘beast mode’ upgrade mean for regional air power?

Extreme loadout configuration suggests a potential extension of the PLA Air Force’s tactical capabilities, Chinese military magazine says.

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China military reform

2 Chinese military naval pilots killed during PLA frontline training exercises

Rare local government disclosures reveal senior colonel and first lieutenant from South China Sea-facing theatre command died on June 10.

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Taiwan

The radar system that Taiwan says tracked the PLA’s ballistic missile launch

The Pave Paws early-warning unit detected the launch from waters near the mainland’s southern coast, report says.

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Beijing has not confirmed the type of missile used in the test but a senior Taiwanese security official says it was a JL-2. Photo: Kyodo
US-China relations

US says China gave only hours’ warning before Pacific submarine missile launch

Washington says Beijing’s notification of launch fell short of expected standard followed by other established nuclear powers.

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China-Russia relations

China eyes Russian submarine rescue expertise in Yellow Sea naval drills

Joint exercise reveals deepening military cooperation between Beijing and Moscow while sending signal to Washington and its regional allies.

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China's military weapons

What does China’s submarine missile test mean for its nuclear triad expansion?

More than a technical milestone, undersea launch sends strategic signal to the US and Beijing’s neighbours in Asia-Pacific, analysts say.

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A test missile is fired from a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine towards the Pacific Ocean on Monday. Photo: Xinhua
Mainland China

Russian warships dock in Chinese port ahead of Joint Sea exercises

The PLA held a welcome ceremony for the Russian warships, which arrived in the eastern port of Qingdao on Sunday.

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The Russian guided missile cruiser Varyag arrives in Qingdao. Photo: Xinhua
China's military weapons

Could China’s containerised aircraft launcher reshape rules of modern warfare?

Details of a growing family of standard-sized weapon systems appeared on social media, along with video of an EMALS in action.

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Japan

Japan and South Korea scramble fighters after Chinese-Russian bomber patrol

Tokyo says it had tracked two separate flights involving H-6 and Tu-95 bombers, some of which passed over the western Pacific.

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China's military weapons

PLA’s advanced carrier Fujian transits Taiwan Strait amid military drills

The vessel’s passage comes a day after island starts a five-day exercise to boost its combat readiness.

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A surveillance photo released by the Taiwanese defence ministry shows the Fujian, the People's Liberation Army's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, as it transits the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday. Photo: Kyodo
China's military weapons

China’s navy has missiles and drones. Why is it bringing back the ‘big guns’?

A new 155mm naval gun is said to be in development and it could provide firepower support for a future attack on Taiwan.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
China's military weapons

China’s futuristic stealth sub to boost ‘hunt-and-kill’ capabilities: experts

Satellite images show the vessel under construction has a ‘finless’ design that could improve its manoeuvrability and speed.

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Liaoning aircraft carrier

Type 054B frigate makes carrier force debut with Liaoning for live-fire drills

No sign of J-35 stealth fighter but the PLA Navy’s newest and most advanced frigate makes its carrier force debut.

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