China in July 2026: the most important developments in security
China's security news in July 2026 began with a missile test. On July 6 China fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean, described in reports as the first such test in 43 years. The Chinese military said it was not aimed at any specific target, and a Foreign Ministry spokesperson called it routine and said other countries should not overinterpret it. Pacific nations, the United States and Japan voiced concern, and a Pacific leader said the test created tension in the region. The Philippines and the US raised the matter jointly.
The second theme was naval activity with Russia around Japan. China and Russia held the Joint Sea-2026 exercise from July 5, ending on July 13 in Qingdao, and later carried out live-fire drills that Japan's defense minister said were inside Japan's exclusive economic zone. Tokyo lodged a protest. Japan tracked a joint China-Russia naval patrol on July 26. Separately, Japan indicted a Self-Defense Force officer over an alleged intrusion into the Chinese embassy in Tokyo.
Confrontations in the South China Sea followed. On July 20 the Philippines said a Chinese Coast Guard vessel struck a Philippine Navy sailor. China fired water cannons at a Philippine supply ship near Scarborough Shoal on July 23 and at a vessel carrying a CNN crew on July 24. The US and Japan joined Philippine forces in drills on July 26, and on July 30 China's defense ministry said it would counter any infringement near the shoal. Near Taiwan, China rotated a Coast Guard patrol east of the island on July 4, while Taiwan ordered dozens of sea drones and held exercises to resist a naval siege. China's defense ministry said the People's Liberation Army will thwart separatist attempts by what it calls Taiwan independence forces.
Other developments included Chinese findings on July 2 that a pilot deliberately crashed a small plane into Beijing's tallest skyscraper for personal reasons. Reports, based on unnamed sources, said Iran would receive up to 400 Chinese shoulder-fired missile systems within weeks.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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