Beijing has tightened its rules on the sale of military equipment to ban its sale through unauthorised channels. “In recent years, some business operators have openly sold, online and offline, goods … such as decommissioned and scrapped military equipment, causing an adverse impact and creating security risks,” an administrative notice issued by multiple state bodies said. The notice – made public on Tuesday and published internally last week – covers everything from uniforms to machinery,...
A People’s Liberation Army helicopter’s unprecedented flight in the Taiwan Strait has raised concerns in Taipei that Beijing is rehearsing a new kind of operation for a potential cross-strait conflict. Taiwan’s defence ministry said it detected four PLA aircraft, including a helicopter and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), operating around the island on July 20 and the following morning. The helicopter and drone crossed the median line and remained east of it for nearly 9.5 hours in the “R9”...
There is a change in the skies and waters around Taiwan. In the first half of this year, the number of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fighter jets detected near the island more than halved year on year to 1,334. It was a three-year low and marked the lowest operational tempo since 2023, according to a tally by the South China Morning Post based on data from Taiwan’s defence ministry. At the same time, the number of days no PLA jets were detected by Taiwan hit a new high, and the PLA did not...
The People’s Liberation Army has showcased new airburst munitions that shower targets with metal fragments, offering the latest hint of how its long-range rocket artillery might be used in a Taiwan conflict. Released on Sunday by the PLA-affiliated China Military Bugle social media channel under the title “Steel Rain”, the footage shows several PHL-191-launched rockets detonating above what appears to be a desert training range, showering a wide area with high-speed metal fragments. The video...
Mainland China is conducting two-day live-fire exercises in the Taiwan Strait off coastal waters of the southeastern province of Fujian, its maritime authority said. The drill will run from 6am to 6pm on both Thursday and Friday, according to a navigation warning issued by the China Maritime Safety Administration on Wednesday. People’s Liberation Army drills usually peak in mid and late July as the PLA seeks to improve its capacities in harsh environments, including under extreme heat. Based...
Chinese military analysts are urging the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to rapidly strengthen harbour defences after the United States carried out its first combat strike using unmanned surface vessels (USVs) to destroy an Iranian submarine. US Central Command released footage on July 13 of what it said was the first combat use of American sea drones. Three vessels were shown striking an Iranian base, reportedly destroying one Ghadir-class midget submarine. The Iranian-made submarine has an...
Taiwan gained critical information about Beijing’s ballistic missile launch this week thanks to the island’s long-range early-warning radar system and intelligence sharing with Washington. The island’s AN/FPS-115 Pave Paws long-range early-warning radar detected the missile soon after it was launched from a nuclear-powered submarine in the South China Sea, the Liberty Times reported on Wednesday, quoting a senior Taiwanese official. The system tracked the missile’s trajectory during the initial...
Hongkongers have snapped up the first batch of free tickets to visit two PLA naval ships within minutes of their release for a weekend port call in the city. A South China Morning Post reporter observed that the initial batch was gone within four minutes after being released at 10am on Tuesday. On Monday, China’s Ministry of National Defence said a People’s Liberation Army naval task group would visit Hong Kong waters from Thursday to next Monday to mark the 29th anniversary of the city’s return...
China’s military apparently released the first official footage of its sixth-generation fighter over the weekend – a move that analysts said might suggest Beijing was ahead of its competitors, including the US, in developing the next generation of warplanes. China Military Bugle, the official press account of the People’s Liberation Army, published a four-minute video on Sunday marking the 10th anniversary of China’s first heavy transport aircraft, the Y-20, entering service. In the video’s...