China’s Defense Industry Under Scrutiny Amid Failures in International Conflicts

China’s image as a rising military technology powerhouse has come under renewed scrutiny after a series of conflicts exposed serious shortcomings in Chinese-supplied defense systems, and those defeats are not lost on Chinese netizens. Air defense equipment promoted by Beijing as advanced and reliable has faced questions after failing to prevent major military operations in Pakistan, Venezuela, and most recently Iran. The incidents have prompted defense experts and policymakers to examine whether Chinese systems perform as advertised when confronted with technologically sophisticated adversaries. Chinese social media and traditional media has also pursued these same questions, in nuanced ways to avoid…