In northern China, Shenyang is quickly becoming the epicenter of the country's defence industry. The city houses a massive aviation complex, about the size of 600 football fields, to make advanced military aircraft. Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, owned by Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), produces the carrier-based J-15 fighter, the advanced J-35 stealth fighter, and prototypes for China's fifth-generation combat jets. The city authorities have committed to making Shenyang a "world-class aerospace city," underscoring Beijing's push to upgrade its military capabilities.
Production lines are more and more software-based, with aircraft systems and capabilities being designed independently, improving efficiency. AVIC's subsidiaries, such as the Xian Aircraft Industrial Corporation and Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, register growing revenues and are spending billions on expanding production capacity. Even as China's economy grows more slowly, defense spending has been steady, helping to support the nation's ambitious modernization of its military.
China's industrial prowess is not limited to specialized military plants. Its civilian manufacturing industry is integrated closely with the defence sector under the Military-Civil Fusion (MCF) policy, a state directive to use private enterprises and civilian industry to augment defence manufacturing. Aircraft assembly lines, shipyards, and electronics plants are built to transform between civilian and military production, providing China with a strategic cushion in the event of possible long-drawn conflicts.
Experts point to China's leadership in global shipbuilding, rare earth minerals, and critical dual-use production, enabling the PLA to quickly replenish munitions, planes, and warships. In a potential Taiwan war, this industrial capacity might be the decisive factor, maintaining protracted operations while other militaries, such as the US, might experience shortages.
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China's production base is a stark contrast to the US, where bureaucracy, supply chains, and the lag in weapons programs have hampered production. As the US struggles to resupply missile inventories, keep shipbuilding schedules on track, or stand up next-generation aircraft, China just keeps opening up production, automating, and leveraging its mineral and manufacturing edge. Its strategic emphasis on research and development, especially in AI, semiconductors, and advanced aircraft technology, is synergistic with its enormous production scale.
Experts observe that contemporary warfare more and more relies on continuous industrial production. Drones, aircraft, and missiles are only as useful as the infrastructure they are drawn from. China's capacity to produce a constant flow of weapons would greatly increase its capabilities in any long-term conflict, especially in the Taiwan Strait.
Although Beijing has not openly established a deadline for moving against Taiwan, it is rapidly modernizing its military. The integration of rapid production, leading-edge technology, and dual-use industry integration places the PLA to counterattack more rapidly and effectively than most of its potential adversaries.
