In the last decade the China has made a huge leap in quality in building aautonomous military industrythus managing not only to reduce dependence on foreign countries, but also to compete directly with the United States, Russia and Europe. According to a long study by Wall Street Journala symbolic and strategic, as well as decisive, turning point would arrive in the most difficult sector to master: that of aeronautical engineswhich has always been one of the Achilles’ heels of the Chinese defense. In 2016, Beijing created Aero Engine Corp. of China (AECC)a state conglomerate designed to concentrate resources, scientific expertise and public capital in an area in which the country had lagged behind Western rivals for decades. Less than ten years later, the new ones Chinese stealth fighters are entering service with engines designed and built entirely at home, marking a key step in the path of military self-sufficiency desired by Xi Jinping.
China’s military exploits
This result is not at all random, but the result of one long-term strategy which combined massive investments in research and development, a major restructuring of the defense industry and a pragmatic approach to technology acquisition. For years China has made extensive use of imports, especially from Russiaeven going so far as to copy and adapt foreign platforms, as in the case of fighters Sukhoi transformed into J-11.
According to Western analysts, Beijing has also filled part of the gap by resorting to industrial espionage e cyberattacchi against foreign defense companies, particularly in the aeronautical and naval sectors. Today, however, the picture has changed: China’s share of global arms imports has drastically decreased and the Asian country has dropped out of the top ten of the world’s largest buyers. At the same time, China has become the fourth largest global arms exporter, offering many countries cheaper solutions than those of the West. In some segments, such as i hypersonic missilesi armed drones hey advanced radar systemsChinese capabilities even appear to surpass those of Western competitors.
The Dragon tightens his muscles
Military buildup isn’t just about the skies. At sea, China has surpassed the United States in number naval units launched over the last decade, building ships faster and cheaper thanks to a industrial system highly integrated. The Chinese Navy is now the largest in the world by number navieven if Washington claims qualitative superiority.
The launch and recent entry into service of the porterei Fujianthe first entirely designed and built in China and equipped with electromagnetic catapults, represent a clear technological leap compared to the previous units, derived from Soviet projects. This strengthening allows Beijing to extend its reach well beyond the South China Sea and protect global trade routes and strategic interests.
However, some structural limitations remain. Part of the fleet and of theaviation it still uses systems of Soviet or Russian origin and, in terms of reliability, Western engines maintain an advantage in terms of durability and maintenance. But the trend appears irreversible.
Xi’s goal is not only to bridge the gap, but over time to directly challenge Washington for global military leadership, transforming the arms industry into one of the pillars of China’s strategic power, technological autonomy and geopolitical weight in the 21st century.
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