America is one of the most cunning nations, almost as much so as Britain. Chinese are known for signing contracts early, then negotiating after—something the West calls “reneging”, which breaks the contract. London always knew China wouldn’t be able to… Read More ›

People’s Liberation Army
China threatens to impose air defence identification zone in South China Sea
China is preparing an air defence identification zone (ADIZ) in the South China Sea, two years after it announced a similar one in the East China Sea, according to sources close to the People’s Liberation Army and a defence report…. Read More ›
Japan eyes air superiority over China in talks with western defence contractors
Japan has opened talks with Western defence contractors about building a new generation of fighter jets, sources say, in what would mark an important milestone in Tokyo’s strategy to maintain its air superiority over rival China. The discussions with defence… Read More ›
China threatens sanctions against U.S. companies
China’s recent threat to impose sanctions on U.S. defence companies that sell arms to Taiwan should come as no surprise to American officials or corporate executives: Washington has been issuing sanctions of these sorts for years. It was only a… Read More ›
Civilian companies doing research and development for Chinese military to save money on defence budget
Shenzhen Economic Daily says in its report that more than 100 Shenzhen enterprises have participated in, or are involved in, production for the Chinese military. The report says that, to facilitate private enterprises contributing to military production, Shenzhen Huachuang Science… Read More ›
Can China’s consumers save the world economy?
Long the place that makes stuff and doesn’t consume much, China is set to redress the balance. And thus, some say, rescue the troubled global economy. But it’s a stretch to think that Beijing’s plan — shifting the export-driven country… Read More ›
China already violating U.S. cyberagreement
Chinese hacking attempts on American corporate intellectual property have occurred with regularity over the past three weeks, suggesting that China almost immediately began violating its newly minted cyberagreement with the United States, according to a newly published analysis by a… Read More ›
China reveals new defence: diversion, induced explosion of precision weapons
The following is based on a translation of a report in Chinese media: The PLA Daily published a report on China’s active defence by diversion and induced explosion of enemy warheads and bombs before they hit their targets. The information… Read More ›
China reveals new AEW&C KJ-500
The following is based on a translation of a report in Chinese media: Chinese media people.com.cn reports on China’s new airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, the KJ-500. The report says that though its platform is smaller than the… Read More ›
China asks U.S. for respect and trust
China hopes the United States can scale back activities that run the risk of misunderstandings, and respect China’s core interests, the Defence Ministry on Thursday cited a senior Chinese naval commander as saying. Each country has blamed the other for… Read More ›
Test flight of China’s new hypersonic flying vehicle
The following is based on translations of reports on Chinese news sites: Recently news about China’s test of a new type of high-speed flying vehicle is viral on Chinese Internet. What attracts web users’ keen attention is the A recent… Read More ›
Cadence of Conflict: Asia, September 28, 2015
The unstated reason Chinese Pres. Xi snubbed Zuckerberg is probably for his age. Chinese think a man can’t do business until he’s at least in his 40’s and “is old enough to grow a mustache”. Whatever the reason, China having… Read More ›
China’s new weapons showcased in September 3 parade, which China says are capable of attacking Japan and Taiwan
The following is based on a translation of a report on a Chinese news site: China’s Huanqiu.com website carries a report on an article on the website of Britain’s Jane’s Defence Review published on September 9 on China’s new weapons… Read More ›
China says its long-range aircraft carrier killer ballistic missiles confound US spies
The following is based on a translation of a report on a Chinese news site: Mil.huanqiu.com says in its report on the DF-21D ballistic missile, which China showcased for the first time in its military parade on September 3, that… Read More ›
Cadence of Conflict: September 7, 2015
China’s pushing into the water. Beijing celebrated America’s victory over Japan in 1945. The Communists who took over China four years later seemed to take much of the credit. And they are still angry that, even after 66 years, they… Read More ›
China’s anti-fascist parade indistinguishable from fascist parade
To commemorate the 70th anniversary of China’s triumph over the Imperial Japanese Army in 1945, China’s communist leaders have orchestrated a massive shutdown of Beijing on a scale not seen since the same city was occupied by the Imperial Japanese Army in August 1937…. Read More ›
China’s new KJ-500 aircraft to replace KJ-2000 as major AEW&C
The following is based on a translation of a report on a Chinese news site: Hong Kong media mil.ifent.com reports that in the military parade on September 3, China displayed its new AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning & Control), the KJ-500,… Read More ›
China’s new long-range rocket artillery can hit moving targets at sea and repel invading navy
The following is based on a translation of a report on a Chinese news site: China’s major news site mil.huanqiu.com reports about the intensive training of a rocket artillery battalion in China’s Jinan Military Region. In the second year after… Read More ›
Chinese troops head to North Korean border as tensions mount between North and South Korea
The People’s Liberation Army has sent troops to China’s border with North Korea as escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula have pushed North and South to the brink of possible war. The Hong Kong-based Oriental Daily reported Saturday that internet… Read More ›
China has been intensively developing homegrown VTOL fighter jet, but admits it lags behind America
The following is based on translations from reports on Chinese websites: Chinese website mil.huanqiu.com describes in its report the difficulties in developing a VTOL fighter jet but concludes that for China at present, development of a VTOL fighter jet within… Read More ›
Chinese website claims US allies provided secret military assistance to China in defiance of international weapons embargo
The following is based on a translation from a report in Chinese media: Chinese website war.163.com in its recent article claims France, Israel and Ukraine made great contributions to China’s weapon modernisation, in defiance of an international weapons embargo. The… Read More ›
China says its home-grown large aircraft are a new driving force for China’s manufacturing sector
Chinese government’s primetime TV news CCTV yesterday gave first place to its report on China’s three new large aircraft. It said that China’s efforts in developing large aircraft have reached the harvesting stage. General assembly of China’s AG600, the world’s… Read More ›
China says its Yilong drone is among world’s best
The following is based on a translation of a report in Chinese media: Mil.huanqiu.com reports that China has sent its Yilong drone to the Paris Air Show to display China’s achievements in developing and marketing drones. Li Yidong, chief engineer… Read More ›
Why the bear is back in Vietnam – Russia assisting Vietnam in South China Sea dispute
Russia-Vietnam ties that seemed to be cooling after the end of the Cold War are warming up all over again. More than 20 years after Moscow abandoned its largest foreign base, Russian military aircraft are once again welcome visitors at… Read More ›
China’s new J-16 fighter jets appear to have been commissioned into the PLA air force
The following is based on a translation from a report in Chinese media: Qianzhan.com published photos of China’s J-16 fighter jets, raising speculation that it has begun series production and has been commissioned in the PLA air force. Some photos… Read More ›
China preparing for drone warfare
China’s military plans to produce nearly 42,000 land-based and sea-based unmanned weapons and sensor platforms as part of its continuing, large-scale military buildup, the Pentagon’s annual report on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) disclosed Friday. China currently operates several armed… Read More ›
China says its new YJ-18 anti-ship missile is a real threat to US navy
The following is based on a translation from Chinese media: China‘s qianzhan.com quotes unspecified “foreign media” reports as saying that China’s newest 052D Aegis destroyer is equipped with China’s newest YJ-18 supersonic anti-ship missiles. The missile’s high speed and terminal… Read More ›
China missile test highlights space weapons threat; can destroy US satellites
China’s recent test of a missile designed to shoot down satellites in low-earth orbit highlights a growing threat of space weapons, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command said on Tuesday. Adm. Cecil D. Haney, head of the Omaha-based nuclear… Read More ›
China can’t be contained; it has to be accommodated
At the start of the twentieth century, Britain, the superpower of the time, was faced with a strategic dilemma: what to do about a newly unified and nationalist Germany, which was rising fast economically and building up its military. One… Read More ›
Why the US should worry about Russia, not China
Last Friday, the United States released its updated Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower (CS-21). One of the biggest critiques of the first Cooperative Strategy concentrated on the difficulty of fitting China and Russia into the “cooperative” frame. China continues to… Read More ›
China deploys forces to Myanmar border after bombing in Yunnan province
Beijing sent forces to patrol its southwestern border with Myanmar after a bomb killed four Chinese citizens in an area where violence between Burmese rebel groups and troops has spread and strained ties with China. On Sunday, Chinese Premier Li… Read More ›
China scrambles jets after Myanmar bomb kills four people in Yunnan province
China has lodged diplomatic protests and scrambled fighter jets to the border with neighbouring Myanmar after a bomb from a Burmese warplane killed four people in China’s south-western Yunnan province on Friday. Myanmar’s government forces are fighting armed rebels and… Read More ›
Japan’s master plan to defeat China in a war
In recent years, significant attention has been paid to the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). China’s defense budget, which has increased ten fold in the last twenty five years, has funded the construction of a modern, ocean-going navy. This includes… Read More ›
The real winner of the Ukraine crisis could be China
The crisis in Ukraine has plunged U.S.-Russian relations to their lowest point since the Cold War. Crimea is now Russian territory. Although prisoners of war have been exchanged and both sides have agreed to pull back heavy weapons, the accord… Read More ›
After long struggle for freedom, Tibetans still seeking justice for Tibet
Over 1.2 million Tibetans died between 1949 and 1979. China still claims that what occurred during this period was the “peaceful liberation” of Tibet. But the whole world must know that there are so many unanswered questions about how these… Read More ›
US to base four warships in Singapore as China flexes military muscles
Four US warships designed to fight in coastal areas similar to south-east Asian waters will operate out of Singapore by 2018, a senior US Navy official said Tuesday, further underscoring Washington’s military tilt to Asia. The “rotational deployment” of the… Read More ›
China’s military not ready ‘to fight and win future wars’
Despite huge advances, China’s military suffers from “serious weaknesses” that could limit its ability “to fight and win future wars,” a congressional study released this week suggests. The 184-page report sponsored by the U.S. Congress-mandated U.S.-China Economic and Security Review… Read More ›
China’s incomplete military transformation: assessing the weaknesses of the PLA
Media reports of China’s new J-20 and J-31 stealth fighters, “carrier-killer” anti-ship ballistic missiles and anti-satellite weapons have unnerved many in the Pentagon. But a new report to be released on Wednesday by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission… Read More ›
The China threat: America must stop failing to call out Beijing’s bad behaviour for fear of antagonising China
Between complacency and confrontation there is a responsible way forward that keeps the Asia-Pacific a big enough place to accommodate the vital interests of both Beijing and Washington. The heavy lifting will have to be done by the United States…. Read More ›
China prepares for war
The following are the views of the original author, and not necessarily those of China Daily Mail: Apart from their frantic dredging and island-building in the South China Sea, China is now also building an air and naval base in… Read More ›
China has just banned the burqa in its biggest Muslim city
Chinese authorities have banned women in Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang—an autonomous western region where Muslims account for almost half of the population—from wearing burqas in public, according to a brief article on a government-run website, Tianshan News. Local legislators for Urumqi proposed… Read More ›
China and the United States are preparing for war
Usually countries fight for gains or to prevent losses, but US experts are quite different. Michael Pillsbury, the director of the Centre on Chinese Strategy at the Hudson Institute, holds quite different views. In his recent article “China and the… Read More ›
China’s bizarre tirade at US supply of frigates to Taiwan; US only wants to make money because of reduction in military budget
The following is a translation from Chinese media: The United States’ supply of four Perry class frigates to Taiwan has become a hot topic, but a People’s Liberation Army major says that even with such weapons, Taiwan lags behind China… Read More ›
China’s formidable rocket artillery; 10,000 nuclear warheads capable of destroying Russia and United States
The following is a translation from Chinese media, with commentary: China’s qianzhan.com says in its report that the vice director of an [unnamed] Russian institute of political and military analysis has published an article on the serious underestimation of China’s… Read More ›
China’s leader is telling the People’s Liberation Army to prepare for war
Chinese President Xi Jinping‘s recent statements have been alarming China’s neighbours. What’s behind them? Over the last several months, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party have repeatedly exhorted the People’s Liberation Army to “be ready to win… Read More ›
China’s first homegrown aircraft carrier being assembled in Shanghai
The following is based on translations from Chinese media: China’s qianzhan.com says in its report yesterday that according to Canada’s Kanwa Defense Review, China has finished the preparations for the construction of, and will soon begin assembling, its homegrown aircraft… Read More ›
China says it is able to track and kill US stealth aircraft
In my article “Chinese Radar Detects, Locks on F-22, Causes US Withdrawal of F-22s from Japan” on April 2, 2014, I quoted an Italian media report that the major reason for the F-22’s withdrawal from Japan to Guam was that… Read More ›
Is this the end of China’s economic miracle?
Ma Jijiang and his once poor family are the flesh and blood of China’s modern economic miracle, living proof of how radically the country has been reshaped since the late Deng Xiaoping changed the world in 1978 by proclaiming that… Read More ›
China could take down US power grid
China and “probably one or two other” countries have the capacity to shut down the nation’s power grid and other critical infrastructure through a cyber attack, the head of the National Security Agency told a Congressional panel Thursday. Admiral Michael… Read More ›
New China urges increased hostility towards the west
Even as his government was making red-carpet plans to host President Obama this week, the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, praised a young blogger whose writing is best known here for its anti-American vitriol. In one widely circulated essay published by… Read More ›