August 2, 2017                                                Issue No. 20
IN THIS ISSUE

GENERAL DEFENSE INDUSTRY
SPACE & MISSILE & PLA ROCKET FORCE
SHIPBUILDING & PLA NAVY
DEFENSE ELECTRONICS & IT
CIVIL-MILITARY INTEGRATION



GENGENERAL DEFENSE INDUSTRY ISSUES
China's Armed Forces Told to Be Loyal to Party at Show of Military Muscle to Mark 90th Anniversary | South China Morning Post

China showed off its military might on Sunday with its first-ever parade to mark an anniversary of the People's Liberation Army, ­featuring 12,000 troops in battle gear rather than the traditional dress ­uniform. And for the troops assembled ahead of the 90th birthday of the founding of the PLA on August 1, the message from their leader, President Xi Jinping ( 習近平 ), was ­unequivocal. China has "the confidence and capability to defeat all armies that dare to offend", he said. The military should be ­"unswervingly loyal" to the ruling Communist Party and "extend the battleground to wherever the party points ­towards". The parade at the Zhurihe Combined Tactics Training Base in Inner Mongolia displayed China's latest weaponry, including its J-20 stealth fighter jet and DF-31AG advanced long-range missiles. About 40 per cent of the hardware on show had never before been seen in public.
 
Top Chinese Leaders Visit Military Exhibition | Xinhua News

Top Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping, on Friday visited a major exhibition marking the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, called for unremitting efforts to build the army into a world-class military. Senior leaders Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli, also visited the exhibition at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution.
Xi hailed outstanding feats made by the army under the leadership of the CPC in the past 90 years for national independence, people's liberation, national prosperity and people's happiness. "We should remember the glorious history, inherit the red gene, and advance the great cause initiated by the older generations of revolutionaries from a new starting point," he said.
 
What Does China Want? How U.S. Technology Turned Beijing into a Global Military Power | Newsweek Archives
 
Newsweek published this story under the headline "Beijing's Secret Wish List" on April 31, 1997. In light of recent news involving China's growing military power, Newsweek is republishing the story. Welcome to the shadowy underside of U.S.-China relations, where no one is quite who he or she seems to be. Obscured by the FBI probe into Asiagate, a larger question remains unaddressed. What does China really want from Washington?

Chinese Military Sets Up Hi-Tech Weapons Research Agency Modelled On US Body | South China Morning Post

China's military has set up a new department modelled on the ­Pentagon's hi-tech research agency to develop state-of-the-art weapons such as stealth ­aircraft and electromagnetic ­cannons. The Scientific Research Steering Committee was set up early this year, according to a documentary aired on state broadcaster CCTV that revealed the new department for the first time. The committee will fall directly under the Central Military Commission (CMC), which is chaired by President Xi Jinping.

From Stealth Fighters to Ballistic Missiles, China Shows the World Its Weapons of War | South China Morning Post
Almost half of the equipment seen at Sunday's parade to mark the PLA's 90th birthday was being displayed for the first time, and all of it was indigenously made, according to the Ministry of Defence. Here are the highlights: DF-31AG missile, Chengdu J-20 fighter, Shenyang J-16 fighter, Xian Y-20 cargo plane, HQ-22 and HQ-9B air-defense missiles, ASN-301 drone system.
spaceSPACE & MISSILE INDUSTRIES/PLA STRATEGIC ROCKET FORCE
US Within Reach: China Shows Off New and Improved Advanced Missile System | South China Morning Post

A model of the Dongfeng-31AG - an upgraded version of the DF-31A - was shown for the first time at an exhibition marking the anniversary at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing last week. The new missile system is expected to share a similar estimated range of 11,000km with the DF-31A - enough to reach most locations within the continental United States and the capitals of Europe - but will be more mobile thanks to its new carrier vehicle design, military experts said. The DF-31AG is based on an eight axle launch vehicle that can go off-road - the DF-31A's carrier is limited to hard surfaced roads.
 
Chinese Scientists Demonstrate Feasibility of Satellite-Based Quantum Communications in Daylight | OpenGov Asia

Less than a month after achieving quantum entanglement over a record distance of 1200 km, the team of Chinese scientists from the University of Science and Technology of China have made yet another breakthrough in quantum communication, demonstrating long-distance free-space quantum key distribution in daylight according to a report in state media outlet, Xinhua. This is another step towards laying the foundation for a satellite constellation based global quantum communications network, which would be unhackable.
 
China to Fly Space-Based, Solar-Powered Telecom Drones | Global Times

China plans to build a space-based, solar-powered drone (UAV) telecommunications network capable of providing week-long emergency assistance on the ground. A research institute affiliated with China Aerospace Science & Industry Corp (CASIC) is developing the space-based telecommunications project called "Feiyun," which means "flying cloud," Science and Technology Daily reported Tuesday, saying that the network will be based in near space. The network can provide week-long emergency communications access and is expected to go on trial later this year. The technology is crucial for rescue work during natural calamities, Cao Limin, an expert at the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
shipbuildingSHIPBUILDING INDUSTRY/PLA NAVY
China Tests Underwater Robot in South China Sea | Xinhua News

The Chinese-developed underwater robot "Tansuo" conducted its maiden test dive in the South China Sea Monday. The robot is 3.5 meters long and 1.5 meters wide and can dive to a depth of 4,500 meters. It will conduct 20 hours of collaborative operations with the unmanned submersible "Faxian" in the South China Sea. Chinese research vessel "Kexue" left the port of Xiamen in eastern China's Fujian Province Sunday to continue its scientific expedition in the South China Sea. During the second stage of its mission, the unmanned submersible will carry a domestically-developed device, a raman spectrometer, to measure marine physical and chemical parameters and take camera images of benthos organisms.
 
Why Beijing Is Speeding Up Underwater Drone Tests in the South China Sea | South China Morning Post

China is testing large-scale deployment of underwater drones in the South China Sea with real-time data transmission technology, a breakthrough that could help reveal and track the location of foreign submarines. A government research vessel dropped a dozen underwater gliders at an unspecified location in the South China Sea earlier this month, Xinhua reported on Saturday. It was the biggest joint operation conducted by Chinese unmanned gliders, according to the state news agency, and comes as the US vows to step up patrols in the disputed waters.
ITDEFENSE ELECTRONICS & IT
Beijing Wants A.I. to Be Made in China by 2030 | New York Times

If Beijing has its way, the future of artificial intelligence will be made in China. The country laid out a development plan on Thursday to become the world leader in A.I. by 2030, aiming to surpass its rivals technologically and build a domestic industry worth almost $150 billion. Released by the State Council, the policy is a statement of intent from the top rungs of China's government: The world's second-largest economy will be investing heavily to ensure its companies, government and military leap to the front of the pack in a technology many think will one day form the basis of computing. The plan comes with China preparing a multibillion-dollar national investment initiative to support "moonshot" projects, start-ups and academic research in A.I., according to two professors who consulted with the government about the effort. Beijing's interest in the technology has set off alarms within the United States' defense establishment. The Defense Department found that Chinese money has been flowing into American A.I. companies - some of the same ones it says are likely to help the United States military develop future weapons systems.
armsCIVIL-MILITARY INTEGRATION
How China's Military Weapons Inspired Invention of a Laser Cannon to Clean Power Lines | South China Morning Post

Workers are using a "laser cannon" to remove objects tangled in overhead power lines in southern China, according to Chinese media reports. The device saves staff from the highly dangerous task of climbing among high-voltage cables to remove objects blown into the lines.
Experts, however, have warned that the technology could pose a danger to people in the area if poorly aimed - and even to passing aircraft. The Chinese-developed laser cannon was based on similar devices used by the military, according to a report on a website run by the government's National Energy Administration.