Military might fuels China’s challenge to world order

Chinese weapons are starting to show up in the world’s biggest conflict zones, underscoring its technological advancement and investment strategy. In the 1990s and 2000s, its weapons systems and military equipment were seen as imitations of old Russian or even Soviet kit.

Beijing was largely reliant on exports from Moscow and lacked the capacity to create its own hardware. Yet with China’s recent economic development and technological growth, state-run Chinese firms are now increasingly significant military players.

Reports suggest that China has rapidly developed more advanced weapons systems. An example of this is a J-20 fighter flying seemingly undetected through the Tsushima Strait in June, in range of US, Japanese and South Korean radar systems.

As conflicts, including the war in Ukraine, are increasingly dominated by drone warfare, China’s technology has become more sophisticated. It has also made advances in developing hypersonic missiles and stealth technology.

Recent moves in the Pacific have shown off its military power, including unannounced naval exercises off the coast of Australia, which caused significant disruption to flights in the Tasman Sea. The fleet also sailed close to sensitive military sites in Australia.

Naval forces

One was the Amberley air force base, which hosts the American B-2 stealth bomber wing. This also shows how bold China has become, as well as illustrating how sensitive assets are in striking range of the naval forces of the People’s Liberation Army.

In June, Chinese weapons systems were in action in an Indo-Pakistani conflict. Pakistan used several Chinese-made J-10C fighters to reportedly shoot down Indian jets, most notably the French-made Rafale fighter.

The Asian conflict showcased the Chinese jet, with Egypt and Nigeria showing interest in buying the J-10. A year earlier at the Zhuhai airshow in China, several Middle Eastern nations, including the UAE, made significant purchases of Chinese systems.

This followed earlier purchases of drones and fighter jets. Military companies have also found another potential client – Iran. Several Iranian military officials were photographed in the cockpit of a J-10 at the Zhuhai airshow.

The history of why China has invested heavily in military hardware is significant. Its weaknesses were highlighted during the Gulf War and the third Taiwan Strait crisis in 1996.

At the time, Beijing conducted missile tests as a signal to Taipei, which was seen as moving towards independence. Washington deployed two carrier groups in response.

Defence budget

These outclassed China’s ships, with more firepower and more advanced technology, as Beijing was dependent on Soviet-made equipment. Its limitations were highlighted by the Chinese navy’s inability to detect US submarines in the Taiwan Strait.

The need to upgrade its military led to a continuous 10% increase in the defence budget, as well as widespread military reforms. These occurred under Jiang Zemin, the chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2004, and president of China from 1993 to 2003.

The changes laid the foundations for China’s modernised military systems today. They also represent a wider investment in high-tech. With some Chinese technology, such as AI chatbot DeepSeek, now challenging Western domination.

Scholars have argued that economic power leads to greater military power and a greater global role. With the conflicts in Ukraine, South Asia, and the Middle East showing the limitations of European and Russian hardware, there are opportunities for Chinese weapons technology.

It is also likely that PLA military systems will find customers among countries that are not on US President Donald Trump’s list of favoured nations, such as Iran. Should Tehran be able to equip itself with Chinese systems, it will be better placed to go head-to-head with Israel.

All of these advancements have made the strategic position of the United States and its allies in Asia more precarious. While the J-20 demonstrated the vulnerability of the first island chain in East Asia, the latest innovation, the J-36, could reshape aerial warfare in the region.

Advanced technologies

Integrated with AI and linked with drone swarms, the technology has the potential to be a flying server, creating an integrated system not unlike the one recently used by Pakistan, but with even more advanced technologies.

All of these military manoeuvres show how China is becoming a significant player in global conflicts, and how this may give it more strength to challenge the current world order.

Tom Harper is a Lecturer in International Relations at the University of East London.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of China Factor.