China Reform Monitor No. 1501

CHINESE, RUSSIAN MILITARIES ARE NOT "INTEROPERABLE"
Although they can cooperate, China and Russia forces are not interoperable, notes Kenneth Wilsbach, U.S. Pacific Air Forces commander. "I would not say that they're interoperable in any way. Their systems are quite different. That is in contrast to the interoperability of U.S., Japanese, South Korean, Australian and other regional forces — an advantage that China recognizes. We fly with them routinely and we're interoperable. We're flying a lot of the same equipment. We're even data-linking together in some cases and the tactics are very similar," Wilsbach said. The U.S. Air Force is conducting daily exercises in the Indo-Pacific region, and is "fully integrated" with the the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. (Taipei Times, March 16, 2022)

CHINA AND RUSSIA DEPLOY HYPERSONIC MISSILES, WHILE U.S. LAGS BEHIND
China and Russia have test-launched new hypersonic missiles that can travel five times the speed of sound and maneuver in flight like a cruise missile, making them hard to shoot down. China, which is investing heavily in hypersonic weapons, fired one in July that flew 40,000 km in about 100 minutes. Russia has deployed its Avangard Hypersonic Glide Vehicle and its Tsirkon hypersonic anti-ship and land-attack missile, which Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said will eventually make up the core of Russia's nonnuclear deterrence capability. (The Japan Times, March 7, 2022)

[EDITOR'S NOTE: U.S. efforts to develop hypersonic weapons were set back after Lockheed Martin's air-launched missile suffered three consecutive test failures. Lockheed was awarded an initial $480 million development contract in 2018, and another worth $986 million in 2019.]

CHINA HAS CREATED A SATELLITE-KILLING WEAPON
Chinese researchers claim to have created the first anti-satellite weapon, called the Relativistic Klystron Amplifier (RKA) microwave machine. RKA uses a five-megawatt wave explosion in the Ka band to burn sensitive electronics in enemy satellites. The component that destroys other satellites is mounted onto a Chinese satellite that is launched into orbit. (Bailey Universe, March 21, 2022)

CHINA ESTABLISHES DEEP SPACE EXPLORATION LABORATORY
China has set up its first deep space exploration laboratory to carry out research on space exploration technologies, said Wu Weiren, the chief designer of China's Lunar Exploration Program. The deep space exploration laboratory, which is in Anhui, will advance major projects in China's deep space exploration program and provide a platform for bringing together international talent. China is planning several planetary exploration missions to explore the depths of space, with a main task being the exploration of asteroids in far-reaching areas and collecting samples from them. China aims to create a Mars sampling program by about 2030. (Pandaily, March 10, 2022)

CHINA DOUBLES DOWN ON BIOLAB DISINFORMATION
Beijing is pushing a debunked conspiracy theory promoted by Moscow that the U.S. is funding biological weapons research in Ukraine. Chinese officials surprised their American counterparts when they raised the topic during the March 14th Rome meeting between National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Chinese official Yang Jiechi. PRC state media continues to push the story, warning of "risks" posed by the supposed facilities and claiming the U.S. is violating international law. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the U.S. must "give a full account of its biological military activities at home and abroad and subject itself to multilateral verification." White House spokesperson Jen Psaki has called the claims "preposterous." (Axios, March 22, 2022)