Today’s email is brought to you by Empower your podcasting vision with a suite of creative solutions at your fingertips.
China’s latest military parade unveiled an array of advanced weapons, drones and experimental technologies, underscoring its growing status as a defense innovator and raising new questions about the military balance in the Taiwan Strait.
The event featured ballistic missiles, stealth drones and robotic vehicles, offering what experts described as a rare glimpse into the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of the future. Among the highlights was the DF-26 ballistic missile, often dubbed the “Guam Killer” for its ability to strike U.S. military facilities on the Pacific island.
Sam Roggeveen, director of the Lowy Institute’s International Security Program, told ABC News Australia the parade’s scale and content marked a break with China’s past practice of withholding advanced prototypes from public display. “Unusual in the sense of its scale, but also in China’s willingness to display equipment that is either still in prototype or early development stage, or only just entered service,” Roggeveen said.
“This was a glimpse, a selective glimpse, not only into the People’s Liberation Army that is operating today, but the one we’re going to get in the future,” he added.
A Regional Focus
While some weapons suggested ambitions for global reach, Roggeveen emphasized the parade highlighted China’s regional focus. “China is definitely strongest, closest to its own shores,” he said. “A lot of the equipment displayed yesterday, and in fact a lot of the new trends we’re seeing in China’s weapons development, is of weapons that make China the leading military power in China’s near abroad, but with less emphasis on global military power projection.”
That strategy centers on deterring U.S. and allied forces from operating near Chinese territory, particularly around Taiwan. “What it’s all designed to do is to make the environment around China’s coastline, and a few thousand kilometers out from China’s coast, excessively dangerous for the U.S. and its allies to operate in,” Roggeveen said.
He added the implications were most severe for Taiwan. “The military balance between China and Taiwan has shifted decisively in China’s favour over the last couple of decades. The military parade yesterday, including the weapons system you referred to, just reinforced that trend.”
Truth matters. Quality journalism costs.
Your subscription to Mencari directly funds the investigative reporting our democracy needs. For less than a coffee per week, you enable our journalists to uncover stories that powerful interests would rather keep hidden. There is no corporate influence involved. No compromises. Just honest journalism when we need it most.
Not ready to be paid subscribe, but appreciate the newsletter ? Grab us a beer or snag the exclusive ad spot at the top of next week's newsletter.
The “Guam Killer” Missile
The DF-26 ballistic missile has been in service for several years, but its appearance in the parade highlighted its central role in China’s arsenal. “It’s sometimes called the Guam Killer because the island of Guam, where the United States has a heavy military presence,” Roggeveen said.
He noted a variant of the same system is referred to as the “Carrier Killer” for its ability to target ships at sea, including U.S. aircraft carriers. “It’s a unique system in that it’s a ballistic missile that can target ships when they’re moving at sea,” Roggeveen explained. “So the main target there is American aircraft carriers.”
Drones and Robotic Wolves
Equally significant were four newly revealed stealth drone designs, referred to as “loyal wingman” drones. These unmanned systems are designed to fly alongside manned aircraft, taking on reconnaissance or combat missions under pilot direction or autonomously.
“As you say, they’re referred to in Western defence parlance as loyal wingman drones,” Roggeveen said. “So these are drones that are designed to fly alongside manned aircraft and can be tasked by the crews on board the aircraft to undertake additional missions.”
Some designs may even operate independently. “Some of the designs actually might even be true unmanned aerial vehicles which can perform complete missions on their own using either ground control or perhaps even using AI to make decisions and perform missions without direct command from the ground,” he said.
By contrast, Roggeveen said the United States has been slower to adopt such advanced unmanned systems. “There’s nothing else like that in the world. The United States has been much more tentative in its grasping of drone technology in the sense that it is pursuing drones at much lower levels of technological sophistication,” he said.
“The United States is a bit reluctant to take pilots out of aircraft. There’s a strong pilot lobby in the U.S. Navy and in the U.S. Air Force, which is difficult to overcome. China doesn’t face that kind of bureaucratic problem and it is pursuing these opportunities at pace and I think it has stolen a march on the United States and other Western countries,” Roggeveen said.
More novel were the so-called “robotic wolves,” four-legged mechanical units that resembled animals. While visually striking, Roggeveen downplayed their strategic value. “The robotics there for ground operations are not particularly strategically significant. They’re a slight novelty, but it’s best to think of them as a kind of motorised pack horse,” he said. “So designed to ferry injured personnel, perhaps, or equipment or stores over difficult terrain where vehicles can’t get in.”
A Challenge for Washington
Roggeveen said the emergence of Chinese defense innovation is being increasingly recognized in the West. “There’s a growing realisation that China is not just following and copying Western trends anymore,” he said. “We’ve kind of been enculturated to this a bit in other areas of technology. Solar, for instance, electric vehicles, we’re all aware of Chinese prowess there now. I think the same is true for military technology and I think that truth is hitting home.”
The shift complicates U.S. commitments to Taiwan. “What it means is that it is simply much more difficult for the United States to commit itself to defending Taiwan,” Roggeveen said. “As you get further away geographically from China, the picture changes and China is still developing stronger capabilities to project power around the globe. The United States is by far the leading power in that regard. But the closer you get to China, the more favourable the military balance is towards China.”
He warned the imbalance carried consequences for U.S. strategy. “That’s bad news for Taiwan,” he said. “It’s also bad news for those in Washington who believe that Taiwan is a core security interest for the United States because the U.S. is simply not responding militarily to this dramatic shift in the military balance.”
A Strategic Signal
The parade was as much a message to international observers as to domestic audiences. By unveiling new prototypes and highlighting advanced drones, Beijing appeared intent on signaling its progress as a military innovator.
“This was a glimpse, a selective glimpse,” Roggeveen said. “It is pursuing these opportunities at pace.”
The display came at a time of heightened regional tension, with Beijing intensifying military activities near Taiwan and asserting maritime claims across the South China Sea. Analysts said the introduction of advanced missile systems and drones underscores China’s effort to deter outside intervention in potential conflicts.
Taiwan in the Crosshairs
Taiwan remains the most sensitive flashpoint. Chinese officials have repeatedly declared reunification a priority, while Washington maintains a policy of strategic ambiguity on whether it would intervene militarily if Beijing attempted to take the island by force.
Roggeveen said the shifting balance reduces the credibility of U.S. commitments. “The military balance between China and Taiwan has shifted decisively in China’s favour,” he said. “The closer you get to China, the more favourable the military balance is towards China.”
While China has not yet matched U.S. capabilities for global power projection, its rapid development of regionally focused weapons poses an increasing challenge for Western militaries operating in Asia.
“The United States is by far the leading power in that regard,” Roggeveen said of worldwide military reach. “But within a few thousand kilometres of China’s coast, the dynamic is shifting fast.”
The parade, he added, reinforced the pace of that shift. “It just reinforced that trend,” he said.
Got a News Tip?
Contact our editor via Proton Mail encrypted, X Direct Message, LinkedIn, or email. You can securely message him on Signal by using his username, Miko Santos.
Sustaining Mencari Requires Your Support
Independent journalism costs money. Help us continue delivering in-depth investigations and unfiltered commentary on the world's real stories. Your financial contribution enables thorough investigative work and thoughtful analysis, all supported by a dedicated community committed to accuracy and transparency.
Subscribe today to unlock our full archive of investigative reporting and fearless analysis. Subscribing to independent media outlets represents more than just information consumption—it embodies a commitment to factual reporting.
As well as knowing you’re keeping Mencari (Australia) alive, you’ll also get:
Get breaking news AS IT HAPPENS - Gain instant access to our real-time coverage and analysis when major stories break, keeping you ahead of the curve
Unlock our COMPLETE content library - Enjoy unlimited access to every newsletter, podcast episode, and exclusive archive—all seamlessly available in your favorite podcast apps.
Join the conversation that matters - Be part of our vibrant community with full commenting privileges on all content, directly supporting The Evening Post (Australia)
Catch up on some of Mencari’s recent stories:
It only takes a minute to help us investigate fearlessly and expose lies and wrongdoing to hold power accountable. Thanks!