China News
Defence & Aerospace
U.S. operations in the South China Sea show that Washington is ‘not backing down’
The U.S. Navy exercise in the disputed South China Sea over the weekend was about “showing the flag” and sending a message to the region, an expert told CNBC this week. Two U.S. aircraft carriers conducted operations and exercises in the contested waters on the Fourth of July “in support of a free and open … Continue reading
Chinese army demonstrates rifle-size railgun prototypes
According to Liu Xuanzun on Global Times, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has miniaturized an electromagnetic railgun and developed pistol- and rifle-sized synchronous induction coilgun prototypes. These weapons’ technical capabilities were recently revealed to the general public for the first time in a demonstration session. Developed by the PLA Army Logistics University, the weapons, … Continue reading
World War III – China vs the rest of the world
“Hide your strength and bide your time.” China in 2008 “No force can shake the status of our great motherland, No force can stop the advance of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation.” China in 2019 The above statements clearly indicate the change in the tone and the tenor of China, in just eleven … Continue reading
Large number of Chinese troops amassed along India’s border
China has deployed large numbers of troops and weapons along a disputed Himalayan border in violation of bilateral agreements, India’s foreign ministry said on Thursday, accusing Beijing of escalating tensions and triggering a deadly clash last week. “At the heart of the matter is that since early May the Chinese side had been amassing a … Continue reading
Chinese navy has commissioned Z-20F/J naval version of Z-20 helicopter
According to pictures released by the China Defense Blog on June 20, 2020, the Chinese Navy has commissioned Z-20F also called Z-20J by other Chinese sources, a naval version of the Chinese-made Harbin Z-20 medium-lift utility helicopter produced by the Harbin Aircraft Industry Group (HAIG). A picture of the naval version of the Z-20 was … Continue reading
China’s global Navy eyeing sea control by 2030, superiority by 2049
I assess that the PLA Navy by 2030 will consist of a surface force of over 450 ships and a submarine force approaching 110 submarines, an almost 10% increase from my 2015 estimate. It may still be a low estimate. In June 2018, I stood aboard the fantail of the PLA Navy guided missile frigate … Continue reading
US military ban locks two Chinese universities out of popular software
Two Chinese universities with close ties to the military have been banned from using a US-developed computer software platform amid tensions between China and the United States over technology. The US Department of Commerce added the Harbin Institute of Technology and Harbin Engineering University to its “entity list” late last week, barring them from access … Continue reading
China’s military has not reached superpower status just yet
Here’s What You Need To Remember: It’s no secret that China has been moving away from a huge, low-tech peasant military to a smaller, more agile and high-tech force. Still, there is plenty in the paper to disturb the West as well as China’s Asian neighbors. China will continue to replace older aircraft and ships with … Continue reading
China just added two new nuclear missile submarines to its fleet
Here’s What You Need To Remember: What is clear, however, is that the Chinese government is telling the world that the DF-100 is a hypersonic, regional-level anti-ship missile that will impose a new, challenging threat-vector for long-range attacks against large warships over a thousand miles of China’s coastline. On October 1, 2019, the People’s Liberation … Continue reading
Chinese PLA Navy Shandong Type 001A aircraft carrier conducts sea trials
During a press conference that was held on Friday May 29, 2020, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, has announced that the Chinese Navy (PLA People’s Liberation Armed Forces) is conducting sea trials for aircraft carrier Type 001A Shandong in accordance with the arrangement of the annual trial plan, said Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson … Continue reading
India and China: Eyeball to eyeball
Presenting some of the events leading to India and China coming eyeball-to-eyeball at the highest battlefield in the world. China is a habitual offender and trespasses into the Indian territory regularly. Gerrymandering is a full-time occupation of Chinese junta. Why is China making these moves? Let us analyze. 5th May 2020, A Scuffle Breaks Out … Continue reading
China’s FC-31 stealth fighter jet making new progress, photos show
New photos of a prototype FC-31, China’s second type of stealth fighter jet, have been appearing frequently on Chinese social media since May, years after disappearing from the public eye. Now painted in a silver gray coating, its development is making smooth progress, experts said on Monday. A new set of photos of what seems … Continue reading
US, China sliding towards a lose-lose military conflict
Is the world sleepwalking into a new war, be it hot or cold? And is the virus the oil to lubricate and fuel the clash that is centered on China and the US, but impacts the world? Are countries playing a bizarre game of chicken where neither wants to step back for fear of losing … Continue reading
Why the virus threatens the Chinese regime’s imperial dreams
If it acts, the Free World has the opportunity to condemn another communist dictatorship to Karl Marx’s dustbin of history and avoid a war with a totalitarian superpower circa 2035. The Chinese Communist Party knows the COVID-19/Wuhan virus pandemic has exposed its imperial war to conquer the world, so it is frantically engaged in psychological … Continue reading
Indian and Chinese troops ‘clash on border’ in Sikkim
Dozens of Indian and Chinese soldiers have exchanged physical blows in a clash on the shared border, Indian media report. Seven Chinese and four Indian troops were injured, an army official reportedly said, near the Naku La sector in the border state of Sikkim. Local commanders spoke and resolved the dispute, which took place on … Continue reading
Chinese report warns coronavirus could lead to armed confrontation with US
Beijing faces a wave of anti-China sentiment led by the United States in the aftermath of the pandemic and needs to be prepared in a worst-case scenario for armed confrontation. An internal Chinese report warns that Beijing faces a rising wave of hostility in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak that could tip relations with … Continue reading
China says it ‘expelled’ U.S. Navy vessel from South China Sea
China’s military said it “expelled” a U.S. navy vessel from the hotly contested waters of the South China Sea this week. It said the “USS Barry” had illegally entered China’s Xisha territorial waters on Tuesday. U.S. officials disputed the account. China’s Southern Theater army command “organized sea and air forces to track, monitor, verify, and … Continue reading
With the world distracted, China intimidates Taiwan
The tanks queued patiently with the cars, delivery trucks and bright yellow taxis before rolling serenely through the traffic lights. The drill, in Yuanshan, a town south-east of Taipei, was intended as practice at repelling a Chinese invasion. Some of the tanks, covered in webbing, hid in a copse, about as inconspicuously as is possible … Continue reading
US military researchers call for use of privateers against China
The United States should encourage the use of privateers to fight Chinese aggression at sea, according to a pair of articles in magazine produced by the US Naval Institute. The reports – titled “Unleash the Privateers!” and “US Privateering Is Legal”, and published in the April issue of Proceedings – suggest the US government issue … Continue reading
Coronavirus hit to airlines could top $100 billion
The coronavirus epidemic could cost passenger airlines up to $113 billion in lost revenue this year, an industry body warned on Thursday, more than three times a projection it made just two weeks ago as the virus continues to spread around the world. The warning from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) came as British … Continue reading
US Navy warns China ‘you don’t want to play laser tag with us’ after a Chinese destroyer fired a military-grade laser at a US aircraft
The US Navy warned China on social media after one of the Asian nation’s warships fired a military-grade laser at a US aircraft, telling them: “You don’t want to play laser tag with us.” US Pacific Fleet said in a statement on Thursday that the Chinese Type 052D Luyang III-class destroyer Hohhot (hull number 161) … Continue reading
US says Chinese warship fired military laser at US aircraft
The US Navy said Thursday that a Chinese military warship fired a military grade laser at US Navy P-8 surveillance aircraft last week while it was flying over the Pacific Ocean, an action that the US Navy called “unsafe and unprofessional.” The People’s Republic of China “navy destroyer’s actions were unsafe and unprofessional,” US Pacific … Continue reading
Real-Life Iron Man? China is developing military exoskeletons
China has joined the Great Exoskeleton Arms Race. With America and Russia developing exoskeletons—essentially the powered armor suits depicted in science fiction and superhero films like Starship Troopers and Iron Man—it was inevitable that China would follow suit. In October 2019, the People’s Liberation Army’s Army Equipment Department held a competition for the best exoskeleton … Continue reading
China paid a big price for stealing a Russian fighter jet design
Remember that Russian carrier-based jet that China copied without permission? Those airplanes are crashing, and Russia doesn’t seem too broken up about it. Though Russia and China are now friends, even holding joint exercises, Russia’s Sputnik News recently trotted out an article titled “Chinese Navy Short on Carrier-Based Fighters, Only Has Problem-Ridden J-15.” The J-15 … Continue reading
China’s bid to challenge Boeing and Airbus falters
Development of China’s C919 single-aisle plane, already at least five years behind schedule, is going slower than expected, a dozen people familiar with the program told Reuters, as the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation (COMAC) struggles with a range of technical issues that have severely restricted test flights. Delays are common in complex aerospace programs, but … Continue reading
A dramatic before and after look at China’s first aircraft carrier
A picture of China’s first aircraft carrier before it was eventually completed has surfaced on the Chinese internet. The images showed up on Tencent’s microblog and show a rusty, unfinished hulk. The ship, built for the USSR but never completed, was towed to China where it eventually became the carrier Liaoning. The article also lists … Continue reading
Make no mistake: China would destroy U.S. cities in a nuclear war
When one reads enough Chinese naval literature, diagrams of multi-axial cruise missile saturation attacks against aircraft carrier groups may begin to seem normal. However, one particular graphic from the October 2015 issue (p. 32) of the naval journal Naval & Merchant Ships [舰船知识] stands out as both unusual and singularly disturbing. It purports to map … Continue reading
China built its J-20 stealth fighter aircraft without any guns
China’s J-20 stealth fighter doesn’t have a gun. That could be a problem for the Chinese air force. Observers of the twin-engine stealth fighter long had speculated that the J-20 lacks a cannon. Photography of J-20s since the type’s first flight in January 2011 hadn’t revealed bulges or openings that might point to an internal … Continue reading
A jungle airstrip stirs suspicions about China’s plans for Cambodia
The Chinese military’s “string of pearls” strategy depends on far-flung regional outposts. Some think Cambodia is becoming one. When completed next year on a remote stretch of shoreline, Dara Sakor International Airport will boast the longest runway in Cambodia, complete with the kind of tight turning bay favored by fighter jet pilots. Nearby, workers are … Continue reading
China commissions 2nd aircraft carrier, challenging U.S. dominance
China commissioned its first domestically built aircraft carrier on Tuesday, reaching a new milestone in its ambitions to build a modern navy capable of challenging American dominance of the seas, especially in the Pacific. China’s leader, Xi Jinping, presided over a commissioning ceremony at the Chinese naval base in Sanya, on the southern island of … Continue reading
China is not as strong as it seems
American opinion has moved away from its once-benign view of China. That older view, still favored by many business people, held that a prosperous China would threaten its neighbors less than a poor China, and anyway would offer the United States great economic advantages. Accordingly, this view recommended that the West engage China in a … Continue reading
China’s J-20 stealth fighter is capable, but has some big flaws
Reports say China put its stealth fighter — the J-20 — into service last month. The aircraft, built by the Chengdu Aerospace Corporation, is a twin-engine multi-role fighter that can reach speeds of 2,100 kilometers per hour. It’s believed the J-20 will have two primary missions. First, it could be deployed as a long range … Continue reading
China’s plan to fight a nuclear war against America is to nuke U.S. cities
When one reads enough Chinese naval literature, diagrams of multi-axial cruise missile saturation attacks against aircraft carrier groups may begin to seem normal. However, one particular graphic from the October 2015 issue (p. 32) of the naval journal Naval & Merchant Ships [舰船知识] stands out as both unusual and singularly disturbing. It purports to map … Continue reading
China’s plan for six aircraft carriers just ‘sank’
China reportedly is slowing its plan to acquire two aircraft carriers for each of its regional fleets. Instead of speeding ahead with the development of a six-carrier fleet — two each for the northern, eastern and southern fleets — the Chinese navy could stop after acquiring flattop number four. “Plans for a fifth [carrier] have … Continue reading
China has a new aircraft carrier, but a lack of fighter jets that can use it
Is China’s newest aircraft carrier half-full or half-empty? That depends on how you look at the vessel’s aircraft capacity. The ship, prosaically named the Type 001A for now, is China’s second carrier and the first built in China. The first carrier, the Liaoning, is a refurbished ex-Soviet vessel. The Liaoning could carry twenty-four J-15 fighters. … Continue reading
China says aircraft carrier on way to South China Sea after Taiwan passage
China’s first domestically-built aircraft carrier is on its way to the South China Sea for tests and to take part in exercises, the Chinese navy said on Monday, after sailing through the Taiwan Strait in a mission denounced by Taipei as intimidation. Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Sunday a Chinese carrier group led by the … Continue reading
Fire the missiles! The U.S. navy is ready to sink China’s new aircraft carriers
Ah, yes, the “carrier-killer.” China is forever touting the array of guided missiles its weaponeers have devised to pummel U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVNs). Most prominent among them are its DF-21D and DF-26 antiship ballistic missiles (ASBMs), which the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has made a mainstay of China’s anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) defenses. Beijing has … Continue reading
Beijing’s new 63 billion dollar mega-airport begins international flights
Beijing’s new $63 billion Daxing airport began its first scheduled international flights on Sunday as it ramped up operations to help relieve pressure on the city’s existing Capital airport. Shaped like a phoenix – though to some observers it is more reminiscent of a starfish – the airport was designed by famed Iraqi-born architect Zaha … Continue reading
China’s defence minister says ‘no force’ can stop China-Taiwan reunification
China’s defence minister said on Monday that resolving the “Taiwan question” was China’s greatest national interest, and that no force could prevent the country’s “reunification”. Separatist activities were doomed to failure, Defence Minister Wei Fenghe said at the opening in Beijing of the Xiangshan Forum, which Chinastyles as its answer to the annual Shangri-La Dialogue … Continue reading
China’s J-20 stealth fighter is built on stolen F-35 technology
Photos of the J-20 provide an up close and personal look at the fuselage of the new interceptor. But the photos also appear to show a sensor system that looks awfully similar to the Lockheed Martin Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) on the front of the F-35 Lighting II. There’s a reason for this: In 2007, … Continue reading
Canada needs to plan ways to meet China’s military challenge
Forget for a moment Canada’s grave dispute with China over the extradition proceedings in Vancouver involving a Huawei executive. As the New York Times reminded readers last week, China has even gone after that most Canadian of bears, Winnie the Pooh. The orphaned bear cub from White River, Ont., a First World War vet of … Continue reading
Is China’s DF-26 missile a real threat to U.S. navy aircraft carriers?
Last year, Chinese state media reported that a new brigade of Beijing’s most advanced intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) has been “activated.” The newly commissioned brigade is armed with the Dong Feng-26 (DF-26) IRBM. According to the Diplomat, “Video footage carried in Chinese state media showed at least 22 integrated six-axle DF-26 transporter-erector-launchers along with their … Continue reading
China’s Communist Party shows military might in 70th anniversary parade
China’s Communist Party celebrated its 70th anniversary in power with a military parade Tuesday that showcased its growing might and strategic ambitions. An honour guard carrying the Chinese flag through Tiananmen Square, the country’s symbolic political heart, before thousands of spectators who waved flags. Artillery guns fired a salute. President Xi Jinping, wearing a gray … Continue reading
China’s navy to unveil large underwater robot at National Day parade
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is unleashing a new generation of autonomous underwater robots that will fundamentally change the way future naval wars are fought. T he U.S. Navy surely has an advantage, being slightly further along the development and doctrinal path than other less well-funded navies. But as is the nature of AI and robotics, … Continue reading
Back in 2010, the U.S. navy surfaced 3 elite submarines to warn China what could happen in a war
In 2010, China was given a glimpse of what could happen in a war. Nuclear powers rarely go to war with each other, but that doesn’t mean they don’t threaten to do so. Indeed, military posturing is an integral part of what Forrest Morgan, an analyst for the RAND Corporation, called “crisis stability.” In other words, “building … Continue reading
China is speeding ahead with plans for stealth fighters on its aircraft carriers
The competition had been between the Chengdu Aerospace Corporation’s J-20 and the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation’s FC-31 over which aircraft would fly from China’s next generation of aircraft carriers. And the winner is…the J-20, according to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post. A Chinese military source told the Post that the Central Military Commission favored … Continue reading
China unveils DR-8 supersonic spy drone during National Day military parade rehearsal
China’s supersonic spy drone was unveiled for the first time during a weekend rehearsal for the National Day military parade on October 1, according to photographs circulating on social media. The photos, which have prompted discussion among military enthusiasts, show at least two types of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) – identified as the DR-8 or … Continue reading
Is China’s new H-20 stealth bomber America’s worst nightmare?
In October 2018, Chinese media announced that the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) would publicly unveil its new H-20 stealth bomber during a parade celebrating the air arm’s seventieth anniversary in 2019. Prior news of the H-20’s development had been teased using techniques pioneered by viral marketing campaigns for Hollywood movies. For example, the … Continue reading
Russia is angry that China stole and copied its jet fighter designs, but the Chinese jets are crashing
Remember that Russian carrier-based jet that China copied without permission? Those airplanes are crashing, and Russia doesn’t seem too broken up about it. Though Russia and China are now friends, even holding joint exercises, Russia’s Sputnik News recently trotted out an article titled “Chinese Navy Short on Carrier-Based Fighters, Only Has Problem-Ridden J-15.” The J-15 … Continue reading
Chinese and Indian soldiers face-off in Ladakh
Soldiers of India and China were engaged in a face-off near Pangong Tso lake in eastern Ladakh on Wednesday, which ended after a local delegation-level meeting, Army sources said. “An Indian Army team that was on patrol near Pangong Tso was objected to by the Chinese side. Our soldiers held ground as they were on … Continue reading
