Advertisement
Advertisement
TOPIC

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA)

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA)
The latest news and top stories on the People’s Liberation Army. A prominent Beijing-based governmental body, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is the unified military organisation of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party. Its primary mission involves defending national sovereignty, territorial integrity and the Party’s interests, alongside protecting overseas interests and promoting global peace. The PLA, comprising ground, naval, air, rocket, aerospace, cyberspace and information support forces, is recognised as the world’s largest military. It plays a crucial role in national defence, internal security, disaster relief and international peacekeeping, continually modernising its technology and capabilities.
The guided-missile destroyer Nanning and the guided-missile frigate Hengyang will be open to the public on Saturday and Sunday. Photo: Dickson Lee
Hong Kong politics

Hong Kong’s first batches of free PLA ship tour tickets gone within minutes

Guided-missile destroyer Nanning and frigate Hengyang to open to public at Ngong Shuen Chau Barracks on Saturday and Sunday.

Hong Kong politics

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

videocam
Hong Kong society

Thousands flock to PLA airbase amid Hong Kong handover celebrations

4
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.

11
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

Video | PLA barracks in Hong Kong open to public

Thousands flock to the Ngong Shuen Chau Barracks to watch training demonstrations and try out military equipment.

Hong Kong society

Crowds at PLA barracks in Hong Kong celebrate city’s return to Chinese rule

Some cite patriotic education as Hong Kong Garrison opens doors to public as part of 29th anniversary celebrations of city’s return to Chinese rule.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
China's military weapons

How China’s home-grown WS-10 engine helped make the country a modern air power

The PLA’s first domestically developed high-thrust turbofan engine continues to play a crucial role 20 years on from its debut.

videocam
29
The engine has been used to power J-10 fighter jets and enabled their export to countries such as Pakistan. Photo: Handout
China’s military drills

Can PLA training catch up with China’s rapid weapon development?

‘No matter how advanced the equipment is, if people cannot effectively operate it, it remains nothing more than cold steel’: PLA Daily.

videocam
China-Japan relations

Are China and Russia flexing their maritime muscle near Japan?

Tokyo’s recent tracking of three PLA Navy warships transiting Tsushima Strait comes amid heightened regional tensions.

11
CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)

Video | Chinese military officers target of new CIA video

US spy agency’s outreach, depicting a disillusioned mid-level officer, risks unsettling fragile calm before April’s Trump-XI summit.

The CIA has released a provocative recruitment video targeting Chinese military officers. The US spy agency used its YouTube channel to publish the video on February 12, 2026, the same day US President Donald Trump boasted about his “very good relationship” with China.
00:44
US-China relations

CIA targets Chinese military officers in new recruitment video

US spy agency’s outreach, depicting a disillusioned mid-level officer, risks unsettling fragile calm before April’s Trump-XI summit.

videocam
55
The CIA ‌rolled out a video on Thursday in a bid to recruit military informants in China. Image: CIA via YouTube
China’s military

Xi’s new year greeting reveals PLA Cyberspace Force post in South China Sea

Analyst says deployment signals Chinese military’s cyber warfare capabilities ‘are no longer confined to the mainland’.

videocam
11
China's military weapons

J-35 jet maker flexes production muscle, pledging to double output in 5 years

New video shows stealth fighter on the runway at SAC in Liaoning as state media says factory will be part of ‘Shenyang Aerospace City’.

videocam
US-Venezuela conflict

Opinion | US invasion of Venezuela no guarantee of hemispheric dominance

By signalling how far it will go to defend its interests in Venezuela, the US might have intensified conflicts closer to home rather than resolving them.

videocam
Ousted president Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela (second from right) and his wife Cilia Flores (second from left) arrive at the Wall Street Heliport in the New York City borough of Manhattan on January 5. Photo: TNS
Taiwan

Video | PLA conducts second day of drills around Taiwan

Troops simulate attacks on maritime targets and conduct anti-air and anti-submarine operations to the north and south of the island.

fe
02:49
Open Questions series

Open Questions | Ex-PLA colonel on Taiwan, the Ukraine war, China-US ties

Zhou Bo ponders Japanese PM Takaichi’s recent remarks, lessons from the Ukraine conflict and why China won’t be world’s policeman.

videocam
South China Sea

Opinion | How does China’s modernising navy stack up against the US seventh fleet?

Between what the US can sustain in the region vs what China can concentrate near its shores, the calculation increasingly favours Beijing.

videocam
16
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Alibaba

Alibaba slams FT report on alleged PLA ties as ‘completely false’, ‘malicious’

The report appears to undermine the recent bilateral trade talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Donald Trump.

9
Alibaba Group Holding’s logo is seen at the company offices in Shanghai. Photo: EPA-EFE
China's military weapons

China’s Pacific power takes strategic leap with new carrier

The commissioning of the Fujian, China’s third aircraft carrier, extends the nation’s reach into the Pacific, provided it can overcome the challenges of operating a blue-water navy.

US-China relations

US Space Force to use 3 weapons to jam Chinese satellites via remote control

The Meadowlands and Remote Sensing Terminals will be joining the US military’s Counter Communications System jammer.

5
Taiwan

No major PLA activity near Taiwan after ‘troublemaker’ Lai’s policy speech

Taiwanese defence ministry figures show no increase in the number of warplanes and warships near the island since October 10.

videocam
13
Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te delivers the annual Double Tenth address on October 10 in Taipei. Photo: EPA
Taiwan

Chinese spy drama Silent Honour inspires praise for real-life agents

‘Sudden surge’ of visitors to memorial park and one agent’s family home comes as series about mainland intelligence operation in Taiwan ends.

videocam
Silent Honour is based on real events and uses the names of communist spies who operated in Taiwan at the time. Photo: CCTV
China’s military

China ‘showed integrated combat capabilities in locking on US fifth-gen jets’

A PLA J-16 fighter reportedly chased away two foreign planes– believed to be US F-22s – from its air defence identification zone last year.

videocam
22
Taiwan

PLA Navy’s Taiwan-focused landing barge spotted at sea, destination unknown

Video shows self-elevating ‘water bridge’ Dong Gong 401 moving close to shore at an unidentified location.

4
China's military weapons

How the Chinese military uses ‘human abacuses’ to counter smart device failures

State media says PLA abacus programme aids infantry and artillery units in determining optimal firing times and helps soldiers keep focus.

videocam
5
Chinese state media showcases the skills of Captain Xu Meiduo, who teaches soldiers how to use the abacus and other traditional mathematical techniques. Photo: CCTV
SCMP Highlights

China’s exports rebound, military mouthpiece’s PLA vow: SCMP daily highlights

From China’s outbound shipments beating estimates to a maths guru on domestically groomed talent, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

A ship is seen at the container terminal of the port in Qingdao, in China’s eastern Shandong province on October 9. Photo: AFP
China's military weapons

China’s military paper urges ‘deep integration’ to beat joint operation weakness

PLA Daily urges stronger synergy across combat elements and weapon platforms, highlights key role of cyber-information systems in warfare.

videocam
China's military weapons

QBZ-191 assault rifle allows Chinese small arms to gain tactical and export edge

191 series shows PLA is catching up with global trends to match world-class combat rifles like the US M4, Belgian SCAR and the German HK416.

videocam
5
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement