Chinese Army

China had at least 30 generals and admirals at start of 2023 who ran specialised departments and commands; nearly all of them have been expelled or have disappeared during Xi Jinping's sweeping purge

China made a major announcement over the weekend, saying it was investigating the army's top general for suspected serious violations of discipline and law. No details have been revealed, but the action is a highly radical move: The general was the highest military member just below President Xi Jinping. The Defence Ministry said on Saturday that authorities were investigating two generals: Gen. Zhang Youxia, the senior of the two vice chairs of the powerful Central Military Commission, China's top military body, and Gen. Liu Zhenli, a lower member of the commission who was in charge of the military's Joint Staff Department. The move shakes up virtually the entire commission, chaired by Xi, leaving only one of its six members intact. "Xi Jinping has completed one of the biggest purges of China's military leadership in the history of the People's Republic," said Neil Thomas, a fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Centre for China Analysis. For the army and China in general,

General Zhang's downfall marks the most drastic step yet in Xi's years-long campaign to purge alleged corruption and disloyalty from the Chinese military's top ranks

Two senior Chinese military officials, including the highest-ranking PLA official Gen Zhang Youxia, were placed under investigation for serious violations of the ruling Communist Party's discipline and laws, the Defence Ministry here said on Saturday. Gen Zhang is the first-ranking Vice Chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), the overall high command of the Chinese military headed by President Xi Jinping. Zhang's position on the CMC makes him the highest-ranking uniformed officer in the Chinese military. The other senior official under investigation is General Liu Zhenli, a CMC member who serves as its chief of staff of the Joint Staff Department. "After deliberation by the CPC Central Committee, it was decided to initiate an investigation into Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli," the Ministry of Defence said in a brief press release. The probe against them, especially Zhang, the highest-ranking military official, has sent shockwaves through the Chinese military ...

Of the eight, two crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern and eastern ADIZ

Earlier, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence detected the presence of five Chinese vessels, an official ship and a balloon operating around its territorial waters as of 6am (local time) on Sunday

China's new large-scale military drills surrounding Taiwan has drawn sharp international criticism, with governments and lawmakers warning that China's actions risk destabilising the Indo-Pacific

Since Lai took office in May 2024, China has escalated pressure on archipelago of 23 million people it regards as its territory

The latest detection comes a day after China launched large-scale joint military drills around Taiwan, deploying its army, navy, air force and rocket forces

Chinese researchers say a new 6G smart surface could let stealth aircraft harvest power from radar signals, reshaping future military stealth and next-generation wireless communication

Up and down the 160-strong Ryukyu island chain, Japan is quickly putting in place missile batteries, radar towers, ammunition storage sites and other combat facilities

Revised PLA discipline rules effective January 1, 2026, tighten political control, expand anti-corruption checks and bar "erroneous" political remarks across the military

There are references to the headwinds faced by the economy as it plans for the next five years

The shake-up in China's armed forces comes as both Beijing and Washington are pushing through major changes in their country's militaries, in different ways

As per the MND, of the 27 sorties, 19 crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern, central, and southwestern ADIZ

During his successful campaign for president two years ago, Milei at times suggested he would oppose any deals with a communist-run Chinese government, but later softened his stance

China unveiled the CJ-1000 hypersonic missile at a recent parade, calling it a 'plane-killer' capable of targeting support aircraft like AWACS and refuellers over 6,000 km away

The frequent incursions and maritime operations reflect rising tensions between Taiwan and China, a relationship long fraught with geopolitical strain

China on Wednesday for the first time displayed a range of new weapons at a massive military parade, which included laser weapons, nuclear ballistic missiles, giant underwater drones, besides fifth-generation aircraft, flaunting its military might. One much-talked-about new weapon, displayed at the People's Liberation Army (PLA) parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of China's victory against Japanese aggression in World War II, was the giant LY-1 laser weapon. The laser weapon, mounted on top of an eight-wheeled HZ-155 armoured truck, can effectively damage the optical sensors of enemy weapons and equipment. Chinese defence analysts say it will truly change the rules of maritime warfare. Laser warfare was regarded as the new military domain. India last month successfully test-fired an integrated air defence weapon system (IADWS), especially the high-power laser-based Directed-Energy Weapons (DEW) system, which invited praise from a Chinese military expert who said it should be