People's Liberation Army

China delivers its harshest military corruption sentences in years

China’s crackdown on corruption among high-level officials has recently meted out one of its most severe punishments for two former military leaders. Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong takes a look at the downfall of the top brass over the years.

Han Yong Hong

08 May 2026

China is arming the Global South — and expanding its influence

China has turned its defence industry into a formidable exporter, reshaping security across the Global South. As researcher Tahir Mahmood Azad argues, its weapons come bundled with ties that draw states into Beijing’s strategic orbit.

Tahir Mahmood Azad

05 May 2026

Why China’s firepower fails to translate into sales

Is China poised to capture a greater share of the rapidly expanding global arms market? Academic Ghulam Ali looks into China’s arms export policy, the quantity and quality of its previously exported arms, and the challenges associated with expanding arms trade to evaluate this.

Ghulam Ali

13 Apr 2026

Why Beijing can’t repeat America’s Maduro raid in Taiwan

America’s 2026 raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro relied on months of intelligence, air dominance and regional deployment. China’s PLA lacks the operational conditions needed to attempt a similar decapitation strike against Taiwan, says Japanese academic Sugiura Yasuyuki.

Sugiura Yasuyuki

10 Mar 2026

[Video] The real danger behind China’s military purge

China has purged nearly its entire top military leadership. While debate centres on whether this accelerates or delays a Taiwan conflict, the more consequential question may be how risk is structured, assessed and misread. ThinkChina’s Yi Jina finds out more.

Yi Jina

06 Feb 2026

Zhang Youxia purged: Is Taiwan closer to conflict?

China’s latest military purge spills outwards and will reshape the structure and tempo of risk in the Taiwan Strait, says commentator Deng Yuwen. The major factor is not about the “removal of doves”, but the downgrading of professional judgment within decision-making.

Deng Yuwen

30 Jan 2026

How will China fill its military leadership vacuum?

With the recent personnel upheaval in China’s military, the army’s professional competence and judgment will be affected in the short term. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei takes a look at the options ahead to fill the leadership vacuum.

Sim Tze Wei

29 Jan 2026

China’s military leadership vacuum: A boon or bane for Taiwan?

The recent shake-up of China’s Central Military Commission means that the top leadership now lacks real combat experience. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han observes that this could mean a delay in combat readiness of the People’s Liberation Army, or a more aggressive stance from younger generals looking for professional advancement.

Miao Zong-Han

28 Jan 2026

Last man standing: Xi’s purge of the Central Military Commission

Only Chairman Xi Jinping and the lowest-ranking member, Zhang Shengmin, remain on the Central Military Commission. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan analyses the purge of Zhang Youxia and other top PLA leaders, underscoring the CCP’s uncompromising stance on corruption and disloyalty.

Yu Zeyuan

26 Jan 2026

Loyalty or defeat: How Xi shapes China’s military

Chinese President Xi Jinping sees factionalism and corruption as existential threats to China’s armed forces. The purges of generals He Weidong and Miao Hua underscore his belief that combat readiness — and loyalty to him — trump personal ties, even with his own allies, according to Japanese academic Takashi Suzuki.

Takashi Suzuki

12 Nov 2025

Whose victory, whose history? The fight over Taiwan’s 1945 ‘retrocession’

For Beijing, Taiwan’s “retrocession” marks the triumph of China’s wartime struggle and the promise of reunification. For Taipei’s Democratic Progressive Party, it recalls the arrival of yet another foreign regime — not national recovery. Taiwanese academic Wen-Hsuan Tsai examines the issue.

Wen-Hsuan Tsai

11 Nov 2025

China’s Fujian hits the water — next carrier already in the works

The Fujian launches the J‑35 stealth fighter via electromagnetic catapult, while satellite photos reveal China’s nuclear Type 004 carrier is already being built at Dalian. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan takes a look at how China is transforming the military strategic landscape of the western Pacific.

Yu Zeyuan

10 Nov 2025