Mainland China plans to defeat Taiwan’s most advanced weapons

A popular mainland Chinese military magazine has detailed plans to counter Taiwan’s most advanced weapons in a conflict – including its newly acquired US-made Himars multiple rocket launcher – a weapon it says does not change the battlefield.

Ordnance Science and Technology published an analysis article in August that focused on the performance of three weapons showcased by Taiwan during the annual Han Kuang military exercises – and potential countermeasures that could be used by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

The magazine – favoured among military enthusiasts – is supervised by the Shaanxi Association for Science and Technology and mainly reports on popular science and China’s latest military developments and national defence, as well as providing analyses on the military dynamics of other countries or regions.

Taiwan’s Han Kuang exercise in July differed significantly from previous years in both scale and duration. The duration was doubled to 10 days and, for the first time, extended from coastal defence to full-scale urban warfare, simulating house-to-house combat against advancing PLA forces.

The drills also featured several new pieces of equipment bought from the United States, including the Lockheed Martin Himars (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) and US M1A2T Abrams tanks.