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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 USS Theodore Roosevelt steams alongside warships from Japan, Australia, Canada and France as part of the Keen Sword exercise, in the Philippine Sea on October 22. Photo: X / US 7thfleet
Liaoning aircraft carrier

China’s Liaoning and US aircraft carrier may sail in Philippine Sea at same time

Northeastward course could see Liaoning group sail close to waters where US, Japan and other allies are carrying out Keen Sword exercise.

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China's military weapons

China’s Type 051C gets a refit as the PLA Navy’s legacy warships near retirement

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China’s aircraft carriers

China’s Liaoning carrier heads to Pacific as US, Japan prepare for drills

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Ukraine war

How quickly is China learning from the Ukraine war’s latest drone tactics?

Beijing’s effort is the most systematic of any outside power, but it faces limits learning from a war it is not fighting.

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A Ukrainian serviceman in an unknown area of the Zaporizhzhia region prepares a first-person-view drone for a strike on September 19. Photo: AFP
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'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

As recent air drills in Egypt indicate, after decades of building economic interests abroad, China is developing the ability to put military power behind them.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
China's military weapons

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

PLA tanker aircraft shows versatility in Egypt exercise, highlighting interoperability that could boost global sales prospects.

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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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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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The fighters refuelled en route to Egypt. Photo: CCTV
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.

A state newspaper report that has since been deleted included photos of PLA troops counting bundles of New Taiwan dollars delivered by drone during a drill. Photo: qq.com
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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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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A state television documentary showed PLA Rocket Force officer Luo Tingrong in front of a satellite image of an airbase that looked like Kadena in Okinawa. Photo: CCTV
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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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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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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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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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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The J-16 is a 4.5-generation multirole fighter of the People’s Liberation Army, derived from and improving upon Russian Sukhoi designs. Photo: Handout
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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Fang Ming, a senior colonel serving as a tactical commander under the PLA Southern Theatre Command Naval Aviation unit, is one of two pilots who died on June 10. Photo: Handout
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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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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Vessels taking part in the Joint Sea-2026 naval exercise involving China and Russia are seen at a military port in Qingdao, Shandong province, on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua
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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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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