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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
China’s next-generation stealth fighter is unofficially known as the Chengdu J-36. Photo: X / Rupprecht_A
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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China’s military drills

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

China shipbuilding

From cargo to combat: China urged to prepare civilian ships for wartime use

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Defence

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
Middle East

Opinion | How Mecca defence pact changes China’s calculations in the Middle East

Defence pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan presents a complex strategic calculus for Beijing, demanding a masterclass in balance.

Defence

Satellite images show 50% boost to China’s Type 054B missile capacity

Chinese military analyst says a larger munitions payload directly affords guided-missile frigate stronger independent combat capabilities.

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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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A display of rare earth elements at the National Museum in Beijing. China holds the largest reserves of the metals in the world. Photo: Reuters
China’s aircraft carriers

In Focus | Beyond the numbers: why China’s carrier force won’t copy the US model

Defence experts say PLA carrier fleet is expected to complement land-based forces and extend reach into the western Pacific and beyond.

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Science

China’s hypersonic weapons can be guided by the stars if GPS fails: report

Guangdong researchers build prototype star sensor after developing a way to accurately predict how starlight bends at extreme speeds.

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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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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
China’s military

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
China's space programme

China’s latest rocket failure prompts questions about ambitious launch schedule

Long March-7A explodes less than 90 seconds into flight, delaying ChinaSat-4B satellite installation and possibly affecting other programmes.

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Mainland China

How Beijing’s hypersonic ‘carrier killers’ could distract US in a Taiwan conflict

Beijing said to be producing anti-ship missiles to hold US Pacific Fleet at distance so PLA can settle matters wherever contingency might be.

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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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Illustration: Henry Wong
ICBMs

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

PLA documentary showcases enough air power in its combination of the Jing Lei-1 on board an H-6N to cover ‘almost the entire Pacific Ocean’.

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Two PLA J-20 stealth fighters escort an H-6N bomber which appears to be armed with a JL-1 nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missile. Photo: CCTV
China’s air force

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

From artificial intelligence to quantum technology and hypersonic weapons, the PLA is in a race to define the next era of warfare.

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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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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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Illustration: Brian Wang
US-China relations

Open Questions | China’s military goal is to stand neck and neck with US: retired 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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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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China’s state broadcaster has acknowledged the construction of more nuclear missile silos. Photo: Handout
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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President Xi Jinping reviews troops during a massive military parade that showcased the PLA’s latest arsenal, in Beijing on September 3, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
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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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

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 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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Images believed to be those of the latest tailless J-36 prototype have been circulating on social media. Photo: X/Hurin92
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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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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