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China's military weapons

China's military weapons
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.
Open Questions series

Wu Shicun on why Beijing will not rule out Scarborough Shoal construction

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Economist James Heckman on the value of risk-taking, and China’s ‘common goal’

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Wu Shicun on why Beijing will not rule out Scarborough Shoal construction

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Economist James Heckman on the value of risk-taking, and China’s ‘common goal’

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
Illustration: Henry Wong
Artificial intelligence

In Focus | China’s Palantir? Private tech firms surge into defence AI, aiming to match US giants

Some mainland companies’ tech proficiency may be closing gaps with American counterparts, but challenges remain, analysts say.

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ICBMs

Why did a Chinese bomber carry a nuclear-capable missile in an anti-ship exercise?

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China’s air force

In Focus | Why China’s military is laser-focused on ‘disruptive’ technologies

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Hypersonic missiles and weapons

Is China’s DF-17 hypersonic glider ready to strike from anywhere at any time?

PLA anniversary series suggests the world’s first operational weapon of its kind may have achieved a ‘constant state of readiness’.

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A missile that appears to be China’s DF-17 hypersonic glide weapon launches from a mobile unit in an exercise featured in an official documentary marking the PLA’s 99th anniversary. Photo: CCTV
US-China relations

Open Questions | ‘Surprising’ how fast China’s military is closing US gap: analyst Lyle Goldstein

Beijing’s challenge is to resist temptation to build the PLA into a ‘hammer looking for a nail’, former US Naval War College professor says.

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US-China relations

Open Questions | China’s military goal is to stand neck and neck with US: ex-PLA colonel Zhou Bo

Prominent commentator shares insights on the PLA’s 2027 goal, competition with the US, the Taiwan issue and the peacetime dilemma.

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ICBMs

Why China’s JL-3 made waves with first sub-based missile test in over 40 years

The weapon is capable of striking targets in the continental US from Chinese waters, making it a key element of Beijing’s nuclear strategy.

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JL-3 submarine-launched missiles mounted on armoured vehicles are unveiled at a massive military parade in Beijing in September 2025. Photo: AP
ICBMs

China signals buildout of nuclear missile silos for ‘strategic trump cards’

CCTV documentary interview suggests the construction was for the DF-5 series of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

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Xi Jinping

Xi urges Chinese armed forces to ‘strengthen military application’ of AI

Comments made ahead of the PLA’s 99th anniversary offer a rare insight into how military modernisation is progressing.

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China’s navy

Can China’s expanding hypersonic missile fleet alter the global naval balance?

Successful launch poised to ‘improve the navy’s combat capabilities’ and create ‘nightmare’ for US Navy, military commentator says.

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A YJ-20 missile was launched from a vertical launch system of the Type 052D destroyer, according to a video released on Wednesday by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. Photo: CCTV
Central Military Commission

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.

China’s military modernisation
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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China’s air force

New images signal fifth prototype for China’s J-36 fighter jet

Footage suggesting rapid design upgrades comes just a month after China released first official clip of a sixth-generation fighter.

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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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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
US Coast Guard

Can the US fend off China’s subsea drones? Its coastguard looks for answers

As China expands its fleet, the US Coast Guard is scrambling for tech to plug a gap in the nation’s maritime defences.

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A Chinese AJX-002 uncrewed underwater vehicle rolls through the streets of Beijing during a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, on September 3, 2025. Photo: AFP
Taiwan

China’s Type 076 ship Sichuan enters final tests with stealth drone catapult

CCTV computer-generated footage shows how the 40,000-tonne Sichuan uses electromagnetic catapult to launch GJ-21 drones.

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Crime in China

China cracks down on sales of surplus military kit ‘to protect PLA’s image’

Government notice covering everything from uniform to equipment bans sales and promotions without official authorisation.

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China’s navy

Is China building a new type of attack submarine? Images hint at stealth gains

Vessel spotted at Shanghai shipyard features smaller sail, suggesting a new class of nuclear sub with better range, analysts say.

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A US Navy officer has projected that China will have a fleet of about 80 submarines by 2035, roughly half of them nuclear-powered. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Taiwan

What do the PLA’s ‘Steel Rain’ shells say about its war plans for Taiwan?

New airburst munitions that shower targets with metal fragments are designed to attack personnel and lightly protected equipment.

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China’s aircraft carriers

Is China building a bigger support ship for its future Type 004 carrier group?

New satellite imagery offers insight into how Beijing plans to keep future strike groups supplied at sea.

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China’s military

Opinion | China’s missile test from a submarine is no guarantee of regional stability

Beijing’s ICBM test from a nuclear-powered submarine is a win from a defence perspective but comes with greater responsibilities.

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Illustration: Mario Cameira
ICBMs

Opinion | China’s missile test is a signal. How non-nuclear states respond matters

The reactions to Beijing’s ‘routine’ exercise put into focus a nuclear order that is rapidly fluctuating from Tehran to Tokyo.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China military reform

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 air force

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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Pacific nations

Opinion | Panic over China’s missile test is born of Western bias

Every nuclear power routinely tests its arsenal. The outcry over Beijing’s launch reveals a glaring double standard.

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A long-range ballistic missile bursts out of the sea during a test launched from a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine in the South Pacific on Monday. Photo: Xinhua/AP
China’s military drills

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
Science

Up to 100 gigawatts: China unveils its high-power microwave weapon arsenal

Defence scientists say the technology could threaten low Earth orbit satellite networks such as Starlink at an extremely low cost.

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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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