Military: Latest News and Updates | South China Morning Post (2025)

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China's military weapons

China’s nuclear stockpile is growing ‘faster than any other country’: SIPRIChina holds least 600 warheads and the number will ‘keep growing over the coming decade’, latest yearbook from Swedish think tank says.

16 Jun 2025 - 6:00AMvideocam

The PLA Rocket Force launches an intercontinental ballistic missile carrying a dummy warhead into the Pacific Ocean, at an undisclosed location on September 25, 2024. Photo: Handout via AFP

US-China relations

‘Nothing new’: US Army parade holds no surprises for Chinese military mindsMuch of the technology on show is well known and not where the United States has an edge, observers say.

15 Jun 2025 - 4:13PMvideocam

China's military weapons

Seoul’s radical drone carrier bids to shape next-gen naval warfareHCX-23 Plus could position country as potential ‘first mover’ for unmanned, drone-optimised navy assets, expert says.

15 Jun 2025 - 5:20PMvideocam

Taiwan

Taiwan war game triggers US questions over its ‘will to fight’ if PLA attacksThe exercise simulating a 2030 assault by the PLA highlighted ‘systemic weaknesses’ that may make America more reluctant to intervene.

14 Jun 2025 - 4:29PMvideocam

US-China relations

Aukus pact up in the air but US to stay focused on countering China: analystsThe Pentagon is taking another look at its security agreement with Australia and the UK, but is not expected to do away with it entirely.

14 Jun 2025 - 9:28AMvideocam

Aukus is a partnership between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. Photo: Reuters

China’s military drills

What does China’s PLA gain from operating 2 carriers in second island chain?PLA is coordinating carriers in the blue-water arena, a tactic it would likely use to deter US forces in a Taiwan conflict, analysts say.

13 Jun 2025 - 10:00PMvideocam

SCMP Highlights

China’s next-gen stealth jets, Qin Shi Huang’s western expedition: 7 highlightsFrom China’s next-gen stealth jets to Qin Shi Huang’s western expedition, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

13 Jun 2025 - 1:41PM

US-China relations

China’s PLA Daily slams US Golden Dome plan, warns of space arms racePlan ‘reveals dangerous trends such as the US Space Force’s attempts to develop offensive capabilities’, official military newspaper says.

12 Jun 2025 - 8:16PMvideocam

China's military weapons

Massed drone deployments part of military modernisation: China’s PLA DailyArticle urges innovative use of unmanned systems and highlights their ‘decisive and dominant’ role in future conflicts.

12 Jun 2025 - 5:08PM

A drone on display at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, southern China. Photo: Xinhua

China-Japan relations

China’s military says Japan ‘breaching pacifist constitution’ with missile testsOfficial PLA newspaper attacks Tokyo’s increased ability to strike long-range targets and its ‘beggar-thy-neighbour’ approach to security.

11 Jun 2025 - 6:00PMvideocam

Rare earths

How US military power depends on China’s rare earthsAs Beijing restricts critical mineral exports, the US defense sector's reliance on China for these essential inputs increasingly jeopardizes its military readiness and supply chain security.

11 Jun 2025 - 1:23PM

China's military weapons

As the PLA adopts civilian technology, Chinese bureaucracy could hinder progressThe private sector is finally becoming a real force in defence procurement, but issues such as US sanctions, red tape and corruption remain.

11 Jun 2025 - 10:17AMvideocam

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

China-Africa relations

China backs South Africa against ‘hegemony and bullying’ amid US tensionsSolidarity pledge to South African general comes after Washington’s controversial move to fast-track asylum for 59 white Afrikaners.

10 Jun 2025 - 5:46PM

China's military weapons

China’s Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers sail beyond second island chainThe two carrier groups have been spotted in the western Pacific Ocean, with the Liaoning’s passage taking it past Guam.

10 Jun 2025 - 6:45PMvideocam

Taiwan

Civilian group hosts Taiwan tabletop simulation of attack from mainland ChinaThe two-day exercise kicked off on Tuesday to ‘identify defence issues’ as part of Taipei’s push to mobilise non-military resources.

10 Jun 2025 - 5:16PMvideocam

China's military weapons

What do we know so far about China’s advanced J-36 and J-50 fighter jets?Almost six months have passed since the next generation aircraft stunned the world, with more sightings adding to clues and speculation.

12 Jun 2025 - 11:29AMvideocam

The latest image of a Chinese J-36 fighter started circulating on social media on Saturday. It is also the first to show the aircraft on the ground, reportedly on a Chengdu Aircraft Corporation tarmac. Photo: X/ @WZZJWZ

China-EU relations

Nato chief says it must build Indo-Pacific ties to meet China’s military challengeNato Secretary General Mark Rutte contends that Euro-Atlantic security ‘is all interconnected with what is happening in the Pacific’.

10 Jun 2025 - 6:21AMvideocam

China's military weapons

China’s sixth-gen fighters: new photos hint at cruising capacity, drone controlJ-36 features ‘interesting cockpit layout’ and is ‘cooler than most Hollywood advanced aircraft’, analysts say.

9 Jun 2025 - 9:09AMvideocam

Ukraine war

How Ukraine’s Operation Spider’s Web attacks hold important lessons for ChinaThe drone strikes on airbases suggest similar tactics could be employed by both sides in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait.

7 Jun 2025 - 10:00PM

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