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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: Mario Cameira
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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ICBMs

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

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China military reform

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

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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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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
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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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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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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China displays a high-power microwave weapon system during the Victory Day parade in Beijing on September 3, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
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 military reform

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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China’s military

China submarine fires long-range missile ahead of Nato summit

An unprecedented missile launch by a PLA nuclear submarine will prompt Nato leaders to focus more on the Asia-Pacific region.

Submarine-launched JL-3 intercontinental ballistic missiles at a military parade in Beijing last year. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

Nato can’t be ‘naive’ about China as it ramps up military might, Rutte claims

Nato’s secretary general contacts Japan’s defence minister after Chinese nuclear submarine fires test missile into Pacific.

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Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte attends a pre-summit press conference on Monday ahead of this week’s Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey. Photo: dpa
China’s submarines

Chinese nuclear sub fires test missile into Pacific in second-strike signal

It is the PLA’s first known submarine-based missile test since 1982, and the first known to be fired from a nuclear-powered submarine.

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Fujian Type 003 aircraft carrier

Will China’s Fujian be the first carrier with anti-torpedo system to beat subs?

Defence magazine points to lightweight torpedo launcher in place of the 12-tube depth charge launchers on earlier Chinese carriers.

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UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles)

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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A drone is launched from an electromagnetic catapult system using interconnected trucks that form a continuous platform. Photo: BIT/WeChat
China’s aircraft carriers

Why it matters that China’s advanced fighters can use all its carriers

While the J-15T was designed to use an advanced launch system, new images show it operating from the older Liaoning carrier.

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Analysts say the J-15T's ability to take off from, and land on, all of China’s aircraft carriers has implications for the country’s combat integration. Photo: CCTV
India-Pakistan tensions

Should China worry more about keeping defence customers than winning new deals?

A study of the risks and opportunities for Chinese weapons exports in global markets cautions against a reductive assumption about quality.

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China’s air force

What signal is China sending with official footage of sixth-generation fighter?

A fleeting clip of the new fighter – nicknamed ‘Little Six’ – featured in a video released by official military media over the weekend.

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Hong Kong politics

2 PLA Navy ships to visit Hong Kong for 5-day port call

Residents will get a chance to board destroyer Nanning and frigate Hengyang during visit.

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The guided missile destroyer Nanning is one of two ships that will visit Hong Kong. Photo: Xinhua
Science

China conducts ground test of hypersonic ramjet that can change shape in flight

The graphite seal used in the Chinese breakthrough is the same one the US defence industry desperately needs.

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Defence

How is China shaping up in the global competition to sell air defence weapons?

After Paris arms fair, analysts expect Chinese systems to do well in the Global South but question their entry into Europe.

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US-China relations

Asia defence spending

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Asian allies to raise military spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP at the 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, saying that countries could no longer “free ride” on American taxpayers.

Asia defence spending
US, Israel war on Iran

Did the Iran war just prove that China’s ageing DF-15Bs are still big guns?

Military observers point to similarities with Iran’s short-range weapons that have breached US defence systems in the Middle East.

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China’s DF-15B short-range ballistic missiles have been in service since 1999. Photo: Reuters
Fujian Type 003 aircraft carrier

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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China’s aircraft carriers

What is China’s aircraft carrier Liaoning testing – and why does it matter?

Forty days of training in South China Sea and western Pacific Ocean comes amid a push for extended range and amphibious coordination.

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Mainland China

Red Hawk rising: how the Z-20 helicopter family plugs China’s defence gaps

Modern technology has put the multi-role utility helicopter ahead of the original Black Hawk, making it an anchor of the PLA’s new air era.

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A Z-20 helicopter takes part in a flying display in Zhuhai in China’s southern Guangdong province. Photo: Xinhua via AP
Hypersonic missiles and weapons

What signal is China sending with footage of DF-17 hypersonic missile launches?

State broadcaster CCTV shows the first footage of the weapons being fired at a training camp somewhere in the Gobi Desert.

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The footage included the launch of DF-17 missiles. Photo: CCTV
UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles)

China showcases portable laser weapons for a single soldier to shoot down drones

3-day defence equipment and tech expo in Beijing features Lijian series of high-energy lasers among displays of drone and anti-drone systems.

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Norinco

China showcases anti-drone air defences at Paris show as conflict fuels demand

Many of the systems on display at Norinco’s Eurosatory stand have been designed to counter smaller aerial threats.

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