Chinese military · Full chronicle and history

The fourth page of the PLA Daily published a commentary article titled "Enhancing the Ambition, Backbone, and Foundation of Revolutionary Soldiers," which has sparked external attention on infighting within the military.

The PLA erected tents around Taksing in Upper Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh on the China-India border and continued the standoff, sparking speculation abroad about the military chain of command and the situation.

Since October 12, the Chinese military has conducted live-fire shooting and military exercises in at least five sea areas, including the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea.

On September 29, China and Laos announced the establishment of a "joint support center" in Ban Khone, Vientiane Province, Laos. The Lao military said it is used to train air force pilots and denied speculation about a military base, but it raised concerns in the United States and its Asian allies about China's expanding military influence in Southeast Asia.

A PLA Daily article revealed that after safety problems occurred at a certain brigade of the 73rd Group Army, the grassroots level imposed layer upon layer of additional restrictions on normal weekend outings; afterwards the brigade party committee issued a document to correct the course, reflecting the unit's extreme sensitivity and taut nerves at present.

On September 27, the Chinese military held joint naval and air exercises around the disputed Scarborough Shoal, also known as Huangyan Island, in the South China Sea.

The Chinese military announced the completion of exercises with the Indonesian Navy in waters east of Taiwan, sparking strong dissatisfaction and condemnation from Taiwan. Indonesian and Taiwanese officials subsequently clarified that this was a routine maritime encounter.

Jun Zhengping Studio released recruitment information, defining itself as the military's brand dedicated to online commentary, with tasks including actively posting comments.

The Chinese military and the Egyptian military held the Eagle of Civilization 2026 joint exercise. Chinese domestic media reported that the J-16 fighter jet engaged in simulated air combat with the Egyptian Air Force's Rafale and won a sweeping victory.

Xinhua News Agency released the press release and video of the commemoration meeting for the 100th anniversary of Jiang Zemin's birth. The names of any active-duty military generals or representatives from the five theater commands were absent from the official report and the list of attendees, sparking speculation about a complete rift between the military and Xi Jinping.

A Reuters investigation found that researchers linked to the Chinese military are using content generated by AI models from US companies OpenAI and Anthropic to train domestic AI systems intended for defense use.

PLA Daily reported that a certain unit of airborne troops was criticized for possibly exposing their position by firing signal flares before a parachute jump during night-time behind-enemy-lines infiltration training.

Starting around July 14, the PLA Daily has consecutively published grassroots management issues such as airborne troops training, research projects, housing, and office printing.

The CCP's military newspaper reported on June 24 that from April 8 to June 16, the first training class for senior military cadres of the whole army was held at the National Defense University, where senior generals underwent closed-door rectification and assessment.

In a report, the PLA Daily named the so-called "competition specialist" brigade from the 72nd Group Army—where He Weidong made his career—as having disappeared, and published a commentary severely criticizing deviations in political achievements and the bubble of new-quality combat capabilities.

Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the National Defense University seminar and delivered a speech. Hundreds of senior generals underwent 70 days of rectifying training and investigation at the National Defense University.

The Chinese military promoted two generals in December 2025.

In 2017, Chinese and Indian troops faced off in the Doklam region of Bhutan.