Home 2005 News

Russia Delivers Warships to the PLA Navy

(29 Dec 2005) St Petersburg-based North Shipyard delivered a Sovremenny class destroyer to the Chinese navy on Wednesday, only days after a Kilo class submarine was handed to China. The PLA Navy has already received seven Kilo class submarines and one Sovremenny class destroyer this year

ShenZhou-6 Spacecraft Returns Safely

(17 Oct 2005) China's second manned spacecraft ShenZhou-6 touched down successfully in Inner Mongolia on Monday after orbiting the Earth for five days. The two astronauts reported they had landed safely and were in good health after the re-entry capsule landed in the remote steppes of the northern Inner Mongolia region

Shenzhou-6 Set to Launch Within Weeks

(18 Sept 2005) China is only weeks away from her second manned spaceflight ShenZhou-6. The spaceship, which will carry two astronauts on a five- to seven-day flight, is schedule to take place in mid-October, but China’s first man in space Yang Liwei will not return to space in this mission

China in Talks with Russia on IL-76 Purchase Deal

(28 Aug 2005) Russian media reported on 25 August that China and Russia are in talks on a possible deal to sell as many as 30 IL-76 Candid transport planes and an unknown number of IL-78 Midas tanker to the People’s Liberation Army Air Force

China and Russia to Hold First Joint Exercise

(14 August 2005) China and Russia are to hold their first joint military exercise, code-named "Peace Mission 2005", on 18 August. The one-week exercise will be carried out in Vladivostok and east China's Shandong Peninsula and nearby offshore waters

Russia Signed AL-31 Engine Deal with China

(31 July 2005) The Russian state-owned arms trading company Rosoboroneksport has concluded a US$300 million deal for the export of 100 modified AL-31FN turbofan engines to China. These engine will be fitted on the PLA Air Force’s latest indigenous J-10 fighter aircraft

Pentagon Publishes Chinese Military Report

(20 July 2005) The Pentagon published the long waited annual report to congress on China's military power on Tuesday. The report says that China is developing new long-range missiles and acquiring an arsenal of sophisticated jets and warships in an ambitious arms buildup

PLA Streamlines Ground Forces

(16 July 2005) The PLA will cut 200,000 personnel and reform the restructure of its ground troops by the end of year, a move the Chinese official media said was to increase its combat effectiveness

China Opens Weapon Production to Private Business

(29 May 2005) The Chinese government issued a new policy to let private and foreign-funded companies in China participate the development and production of weapon equipment, which was previously under tight state control. The government hopes that this would bring competition into the defence industry

China’s Defence Spending Lower Than Previously Estimated

(22 May 2005) A recent research RAND shows that China's defence spending is between 2.3% and 2.8% of the nation's Gross Domestic Product. This is 40%~70% higher than official Chinese government figures — but substantially lower than many previous outside estimates of the share of GDP that China devotes to defence

Russia to Deliver SS-N-27 to China

(29 April 2005) Russia is to deliver the advanced 3M-54E1 (SS-N-27) anti-ship cruise missile as part of its sale of eight Kilo class diesel-electric submarines to China. U.S. officials believe China is purchasing the weapons in preparation for countering U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups in any future conflict over Taiwan

US Navy Flagship Visits China

(29 March 2005) The flagship of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet arrived in the southern Chinese port of Zhanjiang on Monday for a three-day goodwill visit, aiming to warm the Sino-U.S. military ties. Escorted by a PLA Navy missile destroyer 167 Shenzhen, the USS Blue Ridge docked at Zhanjiang in southern China’s Guangdong province

EU reaffirms plan to lift arms ban

(20 March 2005) The EU reassured China on Thursday that it was pressing ahead with plans to lift a 15-year-old arms embargo on Beijing despite a storm sparked by its "Anti-Secession" Law targeting Taiwan. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the controversial law, which authorizes the use of force if Taipei moves towards independence, had caused "complicated atmospherics" around the debate over the EU arms ban

Israel-China UAV Deal Provokes Pentagon

(25 Dec 2004) Israeli TV reported that a senior Pentagon official recently accused Israeli MoD on a UAV deal between Israel and China, and claimed that this has caused a confidence crisis between the two sides. The Bush administration is also pressuring Israel to ‘roll back’ on its defence relations with China