1 hour agoShareSaveTessa WongBBC News, Asia Digital ReporterShareSaveGetty ImagesChina has unveiled a range of new weapons, drones and other military hardware in a massive parade that many see as a clear message to the United States and its allies. The event saw Xi Jinping host more than 20 foreign heads of state, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, both of whom rely on China for economic support and more. It was a display of Xi’s growing power on the world stage, and of China’s military prowess – the show included the “Guam killer” missile, the “loyal wingman” drone and even robotic wolves.Beyond the hype and shiny new weaponry, what did we learn? Here are our five takeaways. 1. China has a lot of weapons. How well can it deploy them?What was clear from Wednesday’s display was that China has been able to quickly produce a diverse range of weapons. Ten years ago, the military technology they put on show tended to be “rudimentary copies” of far more advanced equipment invented by the US, notes Michael Raska, assistant professor in the military transformations programme at the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore.But this parade revealed a more innovative and diverse range of weapons, particularly drones and missiles – a reflection of how advanced their defence-industrial complex has become.China’s top-down structure and significant resources enable it to churn out new weapons faster than many other countries, points out Alexander Neill, an adjunct fellow with the Pacific Forum. It can also produce them in huge quantities, giving it a battlefield advantage where it can overwhelm the enemy. “China has the ability to churn out munitions, ships, all these platforms… the state can just make these directives and off they go,” Mr Neill says. But how well can China’s military integrate these weapons systems? “They can show off these flashy advanced platforms, but are they organisationally agile to use them in the way they want to?” Dr Raska asks.He adds that it won’t be easy because the Chinese military is massive and untested, given it has not been involved in a significant war for decades.2. China is focusing on missiles to counter the USChina has rolled out plenty of missiles, including some new variants. These include the Dongfeng-61, which is capable of carrying multiple warheads in its nosecone; the Dongfeng-5C intercontinental ballistic missile which could be launched from northern China and hit the US; and the “Guam Killer” Dongfeng-26D intermediate range missile, which could hit key US military bases in Guam. …
