RUSI – If tomorrow’s wars are fought mainly by machines, victory belongs to the power that can fuse AI with robotics and build the result by the million. Today, that is China.

China Maritime Studies Institute – In August 2023, the United States Pacific Command (PACOM) first used the term “Hellscape” to describe a future Taiwan Strait battlefield. That same month the Pentagon unveiled the Replicator Initiative, which reportedly aims to rapidly field thousands of expendable uncrewed systems. Official People’s Liberation Army (PLA) sources have reacted to the U.S. military’s public remarks about Hellscape in a strident fashion. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) defense ministry spokesman said Americans advocating for the Hellscape concept “should prepare to burn in hell” and called such individuals “extremely psychotic.” Yet contrary to the PLA’s dismissive political rhetoric and claims that the U.S. is a “paper tiger,” many military experts in China take Hellscape and Replicator seriously and respect the core premise of employing large numbers of cheap drones, seeing it as one of the keys to the future of war.

War on the Rocks – China has spent years modifying civilian ferries to launch amphibious armored vehicles, developing specialized equipment to move forces ashore without conventional port facilities, hardening dozens of air bases, and rapidly expanding the missile forces that could be used to deter or defeat a U.S. intervention. Yet at the same time, a recurring line of analysis has argued that concerns about China’s military capabilities are overstated — and that an invasion of Taiwan remains beyond the reach of the People’s Liberation Army.

The War Zone – China’s fourth aircraft carrier, which could be nuclear-powered, is looking more and more like a real ship.

China Maritime Studies Institute – The United States has initiated substantive preparations for high-end warfare and continues to exert coercive pressure on China. Drawing on insights from over a dozen localized conflicts, this article analyzes the US military’s strike capabilities, operational patterns, and systemic ground vulnerabilities. Grounded in the concepts of resilience and survivability, systems-based confrontation, and tiered defense, it proposes targeted operational principles, countermeasures, and strategic recommendations for countering precision strikes by the powerful enemy.

Breaking Defense – From AI integration to the economics of air and missile defense, Chinese military commentators are paying especially close attention to the US-Israel war in Iran.

ABC – In the final days of May, a Chinese research vessel ventured 74 kilometres into Palau’s waters and reportedly spent 14 hours moving slowly through the island nation’s maritime zone. With a bow built to push through a metre of Arctic sea ice, the 89-metre icebreaker Ji Di might have looked out of place in the warm waters of the North Pacific.

Global Times – The Chinese Navy’s guided-missile frigate Honghe (Hull 523) and the Indonesian Navy frigate KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai completed all scheduled exercises in waters east of China’s Taiwan island on Wednesday morning, marking the conclusion of a China-Indonesia maritime passage exercise,

Defence Blog – Social media images published Sunday show China’s unnamed experimental stealth corvette fitted with a new system in place of its previous missile turret. Analysts differ on whether the system is a sonic weapon or a naval version of a high-power microwave weapon designed to counter drone swarms.

(Thanks to Alain)

USNI News – The People’s Liberation Army Ground Force trained last week to use armed drones against unmanned surface vessels.

China Maritime Studies Institute – The United States has initiated substantive preparations for high-end warfare and continues to exert coercive pressure on China. Drawing on insights from over a dozen localized conflicts, this article analyzes the US military’s strike capabilities, operational patterns, and systemic ground vulnerabilities. Grounded in the concepts of resilience and survivability, systems-based confrontation, and tiered defense, it proposes targeted operational principles, countermeasures, and strategic recommendations for countering precision strikes by the powerful enemy.

RUSI – China’s test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile on 6 July reveals that its drive to truly assure second-strike capability is maturing.

Global Times – China’s state broadcaster has aired footage of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force’s intelligent strike-planning system, showing more than 100 tactical units conducting coordinated strikes with split-second precision after it passed its final live-fire test. Chinese military experts said the technology reflects the PLA’s accelerating shift from platform-centered operations toward AI-enabled, system-of-systems warfare.

The War Zone – During a long-endurance trek across the Pacific, a small uncrewed surface vessel (USV) owned by a California company had an encounter with a Chinese guided missile destroyer near the Philippines. The Lightfish USV, owned by Seasats, came close enough to the Type 052D guided missile destroyer that it was able to capture the warship on video.

Ashai Shimbun – Experts believe that the Chinese have constructed a new nuclear-powered attack submarine that is topped with a low-profile sail and has advanced stealth capabilities.

(Thanks to Alain)

The War Zone – Putting YJ-20s on Type 052D destroyers, not just the giant Type 055, distributes the capability across many more hulls and potentially a much larger area.

China Maritime Studies Institute – Vice Admiral (VADM) Zhang Zheng (张峥) appears to have been promoted to the most senior billet in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy (PLAN). He seems to have taken up this responsibility as early as December 2025.

China Maritime Studies Institute – From 17-23 July, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) deployed a 3,000-ton fisheries research ship, the Lan Hai 201, to waters east of Taiwan. China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, which owns the vessel, declared that the cruise was intended to “comprehensively understand the state of fisheries resources in China’s jurisdictional space.” During its cruise, the Lan Hai 201 engaged in survey activities in the EEZs of Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines, in clear violation of their sovereign rights to regulate fisheries resources under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

China Maritime Studies Institute – Foreign media sources believe that, in recent years, the Chinese Navy has shown keen interest in “small-reactor” nuclear submarines—vessels utilizing compact nuclear reactors as air independent propulsion (AIP) systems—and do not rule out the possibility that engineering trials have already been conducted. So, what exactly is the Chinese Navy’s requirement for such submarines, and through what technical pathways might this requirement be realized?

Covert Shores – Chinese social media is sharing official imagery of an amphibious exercise using a civilian ferry. While these are routine in China, they bear special attention as indications of readiness and hints at capabilities which may apply to cross-strait scenarios with Taiwan.

China Maritime Studies Institute – Foreign media sources believe that, in recent years, the Chinese Navy has shown keen interest in “small-reactor” nuclear submarines—vessels utilizing compact nuclear reactors as air independent propulsion (AIP) systems—and do not rule out the possibility that engineering trials have already been conducted. So, what exactly is the Chinese Navy’s requirement for such submarines, and through what technical pathways might this requirement be realized?

Global Times – Official Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) media consecutively released photos showing that the Y-9 anti-submarine patrol aircraft – following its debut during the 2025 V-Day military parade – has now appeared in military exercises for the first time, with an upgraded variant also making its first official public appearance. A military affairs expert said that this indicates that the new anti-submarine aircraft has been put into operational training and achieved initial combat capability, with upgraded radar and magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) enhancing its search, attack and survivability.

China Maritime Studies Institute – Despite its impressive expansion, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is more of a “decision-taker” than a “decision-maker,” with its growth driven by top-down political directives from leaders like Xi Jinping rather than by its own institutional influence. The PLAN’s bureaucratic influence within the high command remains modest, with minimal representation on the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC) or in its subordinate departments. The PLA Army (PLAA) continues to dominate top leadership and management roles, limiting the navy’s ability to compete for resources and influence key decisions despite a strategic shift toward the maritime domain.

CIMSEC – For years, the public debate over a possible Chinese Communist invasion of Taiwan has focused on a single question: Does the People’s Liberation Army have sufficient amphibious lift to move an invasion force across the Taiwan Strait? That question remains important. However, recent Chinese exercises suggest that the People’s Liberation Army is not simply trying to solve the problem of getting forces onto a Taiwanese beach. It is rehearsing how to move, sustain, and conceal a large amphibious campaign across multiple locations.

The War Zone – The catapult-equipped Fujian is now unlocking the J-15T’s strike potential.