South China Morning Post – The Chinese authorities have reportedly warned crews to stay away from the Diaoyu Islands, also known as the Senkakus, to avoid further tension with Tokyo.

War Zone – The rare satellite image shows a Chinese nuclear submarine entering into the mysterious submarine cave system at Yulin Naval Base on Hainan Island.

– War Zone – The H-6J’s visit to Woody Island would be yet more evidence of China’s expanding military activities in a disputed and strategically vital region.

– South China Morning Post – China’s military has made efforts to cover its shortage of naval pilots by recruiting more cadets than expected this year.

– Global Times – The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force recently launched a DF-26 intermediate-range anti-ship ballistic missile in an ongoing months-long exercise, after the US provocatively sent two aircraft carriers to the South China Sea for exercises and held joint naval drills with India, Japan and Australia in the Indian Ocean and Philippine Sea respectively in an attempt to contain China.

– China Maritime Studies Institute – This China Maritime Report on Gwadar is the second in a series of case studies on China’s Indian Ocean “strategic strongpoints” (战略支点). People’s Republic of China (PRC) officials, military officers, and civilian analysts use the strategic strongpoint concept to describe certain strategically valuable foreign ports with terminals and commercial zones owned and operated by Chinese firms.

– War Zone – Not many countries field specialist underwater firearms. Now we have a chance to see these exotic weapons in the hands of China’s naval commandos.

– Strategy Bridge – The focus of this article is a crosswalk from China’s counter-intervention strategy to the U.S. response.

– Foreign Policy – What happens if China fights the United States and Japan? A mutual disaster, wargame predicts.

– Global Times – Z-10 attack helicopters attached to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Army recently conducted a series of sea-crossing assault drills on a Navy warship. The combination of Army helicopters and Navy warships can significantly boost the PLA’s amphibious, vertical landing capability and will play a vital role in potential military operations on the island of Taiwan.

– South China Morning Post – The People’s Liberation Army has deployed more amphibious weapon systems in mainland China’s coastal cities across the strait from Taiwan in a sign that the armed forces are keen to play a key role in the long-standing mission to “reunify Taiwan”, according to an analyst.

– South China Morning Post – A Chinese military adviser has claimed the United States could launch an attack on disputed Chinese-controlled reefs in the South China Sea to boost Donald Trump’s prospects of winning re-election as US president.

– USNI News – The first in a new class of Chinese amphibious warships has begun sea trials.

– Forbes – China has been building a series of surveillance platforms spanning parts of the South China Sea (SCS). Many of these are in Chinese waters, but several are floating in international waters.

– USNI Proceedings – James Holmes asks what will China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) make of the U.S. Navy’s after-action report on the coronavirus outbreak on board the carrier Theodore Roosevelt?

– War Zone – A video has emerged online showing a long-range fighter patrol over the South China Sea being conducted by Chinese Su-30MKK Flankers. The video shows edited excerpts of a full mission, starting with aircrews running to their awaiting jets at Suixi-Nanning Air Base in Southern China, to aerial refueling,to a pass over the Subi Reef in the Spratly Islands, followed by the return to base.

– South China Morning Post – China has equipped its warships with advanced generators to power high-energy weapons like lasers and rail guns, according to state media.

– USNI Proceedings – The United States is devoting significant energy to preparing for great power war, but China is waging a maritime insurgency—and could win without firing a shot.

– War on the Rocks – The enlisted force has been the weakest link in China’s military modernization for decades, inhibiting unit readiness and operational capabilities. In the late 1990s, China’s senior military leadership decided to build a professional noncommissioned officer (NCO) corps. Yet, 40 years after the Chinese military began its long-term modernization process, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) remains a conscription-style army.

– Naval News – The Chinese Navy’s newest amphibious warfare asset, the Type-075 LHD (Landing Helicopter Dock) is setting sail for the first time.

– Global Times – China’s aircraft carrier-based J-15 fighter jets have now become capable of conducting nighttime buddy refueling, one of the most challenging tactical moves by carrier-borne fighter jets, the PLA Navy revealed after recent successful exercises.

– South China Morning Post – A Chinese shipbuilder is planning to build a more powerful amphibious assault ship that would be able to carry more helicopters and drones and help the country’s marine corps to fight more effectively on the high seas.

– BBC – Ecuador is on alert due to the appearance of a huge fleet of mostly Chinese-flagged fishing vessels off its Galapagos Islands. Patrols are trying to ensure the fleet – which is made up of around 260 vessels – does not enter the delicate eco-system from international waters.

– Forbes – The Chinese Navy is building assault carriers to support amphibious operations, like a possible invasion of Taiwan or landings on disputed islands in the South China Sea. The first two ships, called LHDs (landing helicopter docks) in naval terminology, are still being outfitted. But information is already emerging suggesting that the follow-on design, the Type-076, will have much more firepower.

– Reuters – China is launching new amphibious assault ships and beefing up its marines. Its main aim is to project power far from home, but it is also strengthening its ability to invade Taiwan.