China has launched a military agency to develop state of the art weapons, the latest step in the country’s ambitions to transform its army into a modern fighting force.
The Scientific Research Steering Committee was set up earlier this year but its existence was only reported this week, in a documentary aired by state broadcaster CCTV. It appears to be modelled on the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, the US body set up in 1957 to identify and nurture technology with national security applications.
“The PLA sees technological innovation as a core aspect of military competition and seeks to draw upon Darpa’s model to achieve comparable successes,” said Elsa Kania, an independent military analyst.