China is accelerating its push to integrate
artificial intelligence into military operations, aiming to gain a decisive edge over the United States in the event of a future Pacific conflict with its strategic rival—such as over
Taiwan. U.S. officials warn that Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to be capable of moving against the island democracy by 2027.
Analysts say Beijing aims to boost the PLA’s capabilities, using
AI to enhance battlefield awareness and decision-making, while leveraging advances from civilian sectors into military applications through its well-established civil-military fusion pipeline.
Experts caution that achievements such as
drone swarms could gradually erode U.S. naval and air dominance in the region.
