6 d. ago ‘Marvellous achievement’: Hongkongers flock to see Chinese warship Shandong

Hundreds of residents and tourists lined Hong Kong's waterfronts on Thursday morning to catch a glimpse of the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong and its accompanying strike group entering local waters. Crowds packed the esplanade at the South Horizons private residential estate in Hong Kong Island’s Southern district, with many setting up cameras to get pictures of the passing warships. The Shandong was spotted near Lamma Island at 7.17am and is the first Chinese carrier to call at Hong Kong...

Events

2 w. ago Exposed Undersea: PLA Navy Officer Reflections on China’s Not

Exposed Undersea: PLA Navy Officer Reflections on China’s Not-So-Silent Service  Center for International Maritime Security

Events

2 w. ago Decoding PLA manoeuvres around Taiwan: 3 categories, 3 levels of signalling?

Manoeuvres around Taiwan by the People’s Liberation Army have become a routine affair, but their tempo and intensity have steadily increased in recent years. What were occasional sorties before 2020 have evolved into a well-coordinated campaign designed not only for combat training but also for strategic signalling. But not all PLA operations around Taiwan are the same. They fall into three main categories: near-daily aerial patrols, combat-readiness patrols, and large-scale joint forces...

Politics

2 w. ago PLA jets training for Victory Day parade, Chinese social media videos suggest

Videos circulating on Chinese social media that appear to show rehearsals for a major military parade are providing an early glimpse of the scale and symbolism expected when China marks the 80th anniversary of its Victory Day in September. On Wednesday, a clip posted to the Instagram-like platform RedNote – also known as Xiaohongshu – showed at least 45 People’s Liberation Army helicopters flying in formation. The aircraft formed ceremonial patterns, including a heart, the numbers “8” and “0”,...

Politics

2 w. ago China’s Victory Day rehearsal leaks show stealth jets, massive air formations

Videos circulating on Chinese social media that appear to show rehearsals for a major military parade are providing an early glimpse of the scale and symbolism expected when China marks the 80th anniversary of its Victory Day in September. On Wednesday, a clip posted to the Instagram-like platform RedNote – also known as Xiaohongshu – showed at least 45 People’s Liberation Army helicopters flying in formation. The aircraft formed ceremonial patterns, including a heart, the numbers “8” and “0”,...

Events

3 w. ago China’s PLA Leverages Generative AI for Military Intelligence: Insikt Group Report

China’s PLA Leverages Generative AI for Military Intelligence: Insikt Group Report  Recorded Future

Events

3 w. ago China’s economic data, PLA’s patrols in disputed waters: SCMP daily highlights

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. The US-China rivalry is reshaping global supply chains – who benefits most? Supply chain competition between China and the United States is set to intensify over the next five years, with eight developing countries – including four in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) – poised to benefit from the relocation of manufacturing from China,...

Economics

3 w. ago PLA patrols in the South China Sea as Philippines, Japan hold joint drills

The Chinese military carried out patrols in the South China Sea on Saturday, as the Philippines and Japan held a joint drill in the disputed waters. China’s People’s Liberation Army joint sea and air patrols were conducted by the Southern Theatre Command, its spokesman Senior Colonel Tian Junli said in a statement on Sunday. The PLA patrols were a response to the Philippines-Japan joint maritime drills – their second since August – which Tian called a threat to regional peace. “The Philippines...

Politics

3 w. ago Chinese aircraft carriers’ Pacific presence sparks warnings for Philippines

The crossing of a US-designated island chain in the Western Pacific by a Chinese carrier group marks an increase in Beijing’s “operational tempo” that the Philippines should pay heed to, observers say. They warn, however, that a “delicate balance” should still be maintained to avoid any escalation amid calls for vigilance. Regional governments such as Japan and Taiwan have advised increased caution, and a former official in the Joe Biden administration has suggested formalising the so-called...

Events

3 w. ago What does China’s PLA gain from operating 2 carriers in second island chain?

In sending two aircraft carriers to the western Pacific concurrently for the first time, Beijing is learning to coordinate the vessels in open ocean, a tactic it would likely use to deter US forces in a Taiwan conflict, according to defence analysts. The two carriers – the Liaoning and Shandong – were spotted in the waters, having entered the western Pacific via separate courses over the past two weeks. They are believed to have practised dispersing, concentrating and communicating in the...

Politics

3 w. ago Sending two carrier groups through First Island Chain shows China's 'growing capability': Analysts

Sending two carrier groups through First Island Chain shows China's 'growing capability': Analysts  Breaking Defense

Politics

3 w. ago China’s PLA Daily slams US Golden Dome plan, warns of space arms race

China’s military newspaper has condemned America’s planned “Golden Dome” space-based missile defence system, warning that it may threaten global strategic stability and trigger an arms race in space. “The development of the Golden Dome system and the US Space Force’s rapid expansion have further militarised outer space,” a commentary in the PLA Daily warned on Thursday, adding that such moves could potentially intensify great power rivalry and challenge international arms control norms. The...

Events

3 w. ago Massed drone deployments part of military modernisation: China’s PLA Daily

China’s military mouthpiece has called for the large-scale and centralised deployment of unmanned combat forces at key locations to fully realise their potential in any future intelligent warfare, amid rising tensions with the US in the Indo-Pacific. In an article published on Tuesday, the PLA Daily urged “innovative” organisation and applications of unmanned systems, highlighting their “decisive and dominant” role in future conflicts, including the capability to conduct close-range precision...

Events

4 w. ago China Releases Photos of Aircraft Carriers Beyond First Island Chain

China Releases Photos of Aircraft Carriers Beyond First Island Chain  Newsweek

Transport

4 w. ago Two Chinese Aircraft Carriers Are Operating Beyond The First Island Chain For The First Time

Two Chinese Aircraft Carriers Are Operating Beyond The First Island Chain For The First Time  The War Zone

Transport

4 w. ago China’s Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers sail beyond second island chain

In an unprecedented show of strength, the Chinese aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong have been conducting exercises in the western Pacific Ocean beyond the second island chain, according to the Japanese defence ministry. In a statement on Monday, the ministry said the Shandong strike group was spotted earlier that day, conducting take-off and landing operations of its jet fighters and helicopters about 500km (311 miles) southwest of Iwo Jima and north of Okinotori. It followed the...

Transport

last month Chinese Aircraft Carrier Breaches Pacific Island Defense Line

Chinese Aircraft Carrier Breaches Pacific Island Defense Line  Newsweek

Events