logo
How China's military went from obsolete to world-class

How China's military went from obsolete to world-class

Telegraph29-07-2025
Dive into the strengths and weaknesses of China's military and its remarkable transformation over the last few decades from obsolete to world-class in a new special series on Battle Lines.
How significant is China's military buildup? What does Xi Jinping's ongoing purge mean for the People's Liberation Army? And how likely is an invasion of Taiwan in the next few years?
As the US pivots to the Indo-Pacific and the threat of a truly global war looms, understanding the evolving role of China's military on the world stage has never been more important.
In episode one of this three-part series, Venetia Rainey uncovers the strengths that define the PLA today, from its vastly modernised Navy, now the largest globally, to its Air Force equipped with stealth fighters and advanced drones.
Plus, a look at China's potent non-conventional forces, such as its highly sophisticated cyber warfare units, its independent aerospace and counter-space capabilities, and the secretive Rocket Force, responsible for a fast-expanding nuclear arsenal.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Jimmy Lai was exercising right to free speech, says lawyer
Jimmy Lai was exercising right to free speech, says lawyer

Times

time44 minutes ago

  • Times

Jimmy Lai was exercising right to free speech, says lawyer

A lawyer for Jimmy Lai, the business magnate and newspaper owner on trial for sedition and collusion in Hong Kong, has denied he was guilty of anything more than exercising a right to free speech. Robert Pang was repeatedly challenged by a panel of national security judges as he conducted closing arguments in the trial, which could end with Lai spending the rest of his life behind bars. Pang insisted that Lai's opinion articles and social media posts were no more than 'armchair punditry'. Even his criticisms of President Xi were not an attempt to bring down his regime, he said. 'He's commenting on world affairs as if over the dim sum table,' Pang said at the hearing on Thursday. 'It's not a request for Xi Jinping to step down.'

Iran's navy launches country's first military drill since 12-day war with Israel
Iran's navy launches country's first military drill since 12-day war with Israel

The Independent

time10 hours ago

  • The Independent

Iran's navy launches country's first military drill since 12-day war with Israel

Iran launched its first military exercise since the end of its 12-day war with Israel, state television reported Thursday, with navy vessels launching missiles at targets at sea in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean. While such drills are routine in the Islamic Republic, the 'Sustainable Power 1404" exercise comes as authorities in Iran are trying to project strength in the wake of a war that saw Israel destroy air defense systems and bomb nuclear facilities and other sites. The state TV report said the frigate IRIS Sabalan and a smaller vessel, the IRIS Ganaveh, launched Nasir and Qadir cruise missiles at targets in the sea, striking them. Coastal batteries also opened fire as part of the exercise. Iran's navy, estimated to have some 18,000 personnel, apparently avoided any major attack during the June war. The navy, based out of the port city of Bandar Abbas, patrols the Gulf of Oman, the Indian Ocean and the Caspian Sea, and broadly leaves the Persian Gulf and its narrow mouth, the Strait of Hormuz, to Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The Guard's naval forces are known for seizures of Western vessels during the breakdown of Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, as well as closely shadowing passing U.S. Navy vessels coming into the region. Since the end of the war, Iran has increasingly insisted that it is ready to counter any future Israeli attack. Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh said that the country has equipped its forces with new missile, in remarks reported Wednesday by the state-run IRNA news agency. "In response to any potential enemy adventurism, our forces are prepared to use these new missiles effectively.' Meanwhile, Iran has suspended its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has been monitoring its nuclear sites as Tehran enriched uranium to near weapons-grade levels amid the tensions. France, Germany and the United Kingdom, the European parties to Iran's nuclear deal, have warned that if Tehran doesn't reach a 'satisfactory solution' to its dispute with the IAEA by Aug. 31, they will trigger a 'snapback' reimposition of all United Nations sanctions on it previously lifted by the accord. While already stung by American sanctions since 2018, analysts warn that renewed U.N. sanctions could further weaken the country's ailing economy.

Xi Jinping makes rare Tibet visit amid row over Dalai Lama succession
Xi Jinping makes rare Tibet visit amid row over Dalai Lama succession

Telegraph

time12 hours ago

  • Telegraph

Xi Jinping makes rare Tibet visit amid row over Dalai Lama succession

Xi Jinping has called for unity during a rare visit to Tibet, where thousands marked the region's 60 years as an autonomous Chinese state with songs, dances, a parade – and placards heaping praise on the Communist Party. In his second visit to the tightly controlled Himalayan territory, Mr Xi thanked local officials for their 'struggle against separatism'. According to state media, he also called for the creation of a 'modern socialist' Tibet that is 'united, prosperous, civilised, harmonious and beautiful'. His surprise trip to the regional capital Lhasa, some 2,200 miles from Beijing, dominated national newspaper headlines and television bulletins on Thursday. Unsurprisingly, there was little mention of long-standing resistance to Chinese rule, or a renewed dispute with the Dalai Lama over succession. It is now 66 years since the Tibetan spiritual leader fled to India following a failed uprising, and 60 years since China formally established Tibet as its fifth and final autonomous region. That designation was supposed to provide ethnic minority groups a larger say over policy, including freedom of religious belief. But rights groups and exiles have instead consistently described China's rule of the mountain-top state as 'oppressive', documenting the demolition of some monasteries, imprisonment of monks, and gradual erosion of a centuries-old Tibetan identity. 'Middle way' of self-rule While Beijing denies oppression, critics say institutional control has only tightened since Mr Xi rose to power – with Tibetan children now forced to study in Mandarin at state-run Chinese schools, and the president arguing for stronger regulation of 'religious affairs'. In recent months, these tensions exploded in a bitter dispute with the Dalai Lama. While he has called for a 'middle way' of genuine self-rule within China, he is considered a separatist by Beijing. Now the two sides are in an argument over succession. As the current Dalai Lama turned 90 this year, he announced a non-profit institution he set up would have sole authority to select his successor. China's leaders responded angrily, saying that only they have the right to appoint his reincarnation. They also continue to restrict the Dalai Lama's contact with foreign leaders, suggesting it sends the wrong message to 'separatist' groups. Last week, Beijing said it would 'cease all engagement' with the Czech president Petr Pavel, as he met the spiritual leader in India on a private trip. But recent divisions were pushed to the side during Mr Xi's trip this week, where he was joined by a massive delegation from Beijing. The president visited Tibet once in 2021, and before that the last Chinese leader to make the trip was Jiang Zemin in 1990. According to officials, life for ordinary people has improved drastically under Chinese rule – with poverty falling and infrastructure expanding. It was this that was being celebrated on Thursday, according to footage broadcast on national television showing a 'grand gathering' in a massive square by Lhasa's Potala Palace – once the Dalai Lama's winter residence. In the images, thousands of people hold red flags and placards emphasising the need to follow Xi's guidance. 'Adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and fully implement the Party's strategy for governing Tibet in the new era,' one of the placards read, according to Reuters. Another one said: 'Grateful to the general secretary, grateful to the Party Central Committee, and thankful to the people of the whole country.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store