Intl desk, Mar 08: China needs to shoot down Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit and attack tanks and helicopters with shoulder-fired Javelin missiles, according to Chinese military researchers studying Russia’s conflicts in Ukraine. The ability to save is needed. Planning for possible conflict with US-led forces in Asia.
A Reuters review of nearly 100 articles in more than 20 defense journals reveals efforts in China’s military-industrial complex to investigate the impact of US weapons and technology that could be used against Chinese forces in the war on Taiwan .
Chinese-language journals investigating Ukrainian subversion activities reflect the work of hundreds of researchers at universities affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), state-owned arms manufacturers and a network of military intelligence think tanks.
While Chinese officials avoid overly critical comments about Moscow’s actions or battlefield performance, calling for peace and dialogue, publicly available press articles are more forthright in their assessments of Russian shortcomings.
China’s Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the researchers’ findings. Reuters could not determine how closely the results reflect the thinking of China’s military leaders.
Another diplomat familiar with the two military ties and China’s defense research, the Communist Party’s Central Military Commission, headed by President Xi Jinping, ultimately determined and directed research requirements, and it was clear that Ukraine was an opportunity for military leadership. . He wanted to capture. Three more diplomats spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss their work publicly.
Despite differences with the situation in Taiwan, the Ukraine war has provided China with insight, a US defense official told Reuters.
“An important lesson for the world from the rapid international response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is that aggressive actions will be taken with greater solidarity,” the official said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. Addressing concerns raised in Chinese research about specific US capabilities.
starlink cover
Half a dozen documents from PLA researchers highlight Chinese concerns about the role of Starlink, the satellite network built by Elon Musk’s US space exploration company SpaceX, in protecting Ukraine’s military communications amid Russian missile attacks on the country’s power grid. Are.
“The outstanding performance of ‘Starlink’ satellites in this Russia-Ukrainian conflict will certainly prompt the US and Western countries to expand the use of ‘Starling’ in potential hostilities in Asia,” co-authored by researchers from the university Sept. stated in a letter. Military Engineering. of PLA.
The authors felt it was “urgent” for China – which aims to build its own satellite network – to find ways to shoot down or disable Starling. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.
The conflict has created a clear consensus among Chinese researchers that drone warfare deserves more investment. China has been testing drones in the skies over the self-governing democracy of Taiwan, which Beijing has vowed to bring under its control.
“These unmanned aerial vehicles will serve as the ‘door kicker’ of future wars,” said an article in the Tank Warfare Journal, published by state-owned weapons maker NORINCO, which is affiliated with the PLA. which describes their ability to neutralize an enemy’s defenses. ,
Some journals are run by provincial research institutes, while others are official publications for federal government agencies, such as the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, which oversees weapons production and military development.
An article in the administration’s official journal in October said China should improve its ability to protect military equipment, given the “serious damage Russian tanks, armored vehicles and warships” caused by Ukrainian Stinger and Javelin missiles. fired by fighter jets.
Singapore’s S. Colin Goh, a defense lecturer at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said the Ukrainian conflict has inspired long-running efforts by China’s military scientists to develop cyber warfare models and find better defenses against modern Western weapons.
Goh said, “Starlink is really something new that they have to worry about; A military application of advanced civilian technology that they cannot easily duplicate.”
Beyond the technology, Koh said it is not surprising that the operations of Ukrainian special forces inside Russia are being investigated by China, which, like Russia, moves troops and weapons by rail, making them prone to sabotage. become weak for
Despite its rapid modernization, the PLA lacks recent combat experience. China’s invasion of Vietnam in 1979 was its last major war – a war that lasted until the late 1980s.
Reuters’ review of the Chinese journals comes amid Western concerns that China could be plotting lethal aid to Russia for its attack on Ukraine, which Beijing denies.
Taiwan and beyond
Some Chinese articles stress the relevance of Ukraine, risking a regional conflict that pits China against the United States and its allies, perhaps over Taiwan. The US maintains a policy of “strategic ambiguity” on whether to intervene militarily to defend the island, but is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.
A paper published in October by two researchers from the PLA’s National Defense University examined the impact of the US delivery of high-mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) to Ukraine and whether China’s military should be concerned.
It concluded that “if Himar dares to intervene in Taiwan in the future, what was once called an ‘explosive device’ will face a different fate in the face of various adversaries.”
The article highlighted China’s own advanced rocket system supported by reconnaissance drones, and noted that Ukraine’s success with HIMARS depended on sharing of target information and intelligence via Starlink.
Four diplomats, including two military attaches, said PLA analysts have long worried about an increase in US military strength, but Ukraine provided a window into the failure of a major power to defeat a smaller power backed by the West. Have focused your attention by doing.
While there are clearly comparisons to Taiwan in that situation, there are differences, notably the island’s vulnerability to a Chinese blockade that could push any intervening forces into the conflict.
Western countries, on the contrary, can supply Ukraine with land through their European neighbors.
References to Taiwan were relatively few in the papers reviewed by Reuters, but diplomats and foreign scholars monitoring the research say Chinese security analysts have been tasked with providing separate internal reports to senior political and military leaders . Reuters could not access those internal reports.
Taiwan’s Defense Minister Chiu Guo-cheng said in February that China’s military was learning from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that any attack on Taiwan must be swift to succeed. Taiwan is also studying the conflict to update its battle strategies.
Several articles examine the strength of the Ukrainian resistance, including acts of sabotage by special forces inside Russia, the use of the Telegram app to exploit civilian intelligence, and the security of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.
Russian successes such as tactical strikes using the Iskander ballistic missile were also noted.
The Tactical Missile Technology Journal, published by the state-owned arms manufacturer China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, carried a detailed analysis of the Iskander, but released only a shortened version to the public.
Several articles focused on the shortcomings of Russia’s assault force, with one in Tank Warfare magazine identifying outdated tactics and a lack of unified command, and another in Electronic Warfare magazine stating that Russians were using NATO intelligence to counter it. Communication interception was insufficient. Ukrainians, lead to expensive bunkers.
An article published this year by researchers at the People’s Armed Police University of Engineering assessed the insights China gained from the explosion of the Kerch Bridge in Russian-occupied Crimea. However, the full analysis has not been made public.
Beyond the battlefield, the work included an information war, which the researchers concluded was being won by Ukraine and its allies.
A February paper by researchers at the PLA University of Information Engineering calls for China to prepare in advance for a global public opinion response similar to Russia’s.
China should “encourage the creation of intellectual combat platforms” and tighten controls on social media to prevent Western information campaigns from influencing its people during a conflict.
Reporting by Eduardo Baptista in Beijing and Greg Dorot in Hong Kong; Additional reporting by Idris Ali and Bill Stewart in Washington. Editing by David Crashaw.
Source: Reuters
