China orders military supply chain checks in self-reliance push

[SINGAPORE] China will start checking the security of its military supply chains, joining other nations in ramping up self-reliance of their defence industries.

The survey of military hardware, supplies and special production equipment by the Central Military Commission and departments under the State Council is required by the revised National Defense Mobilization Law passed on Friday (Aug 28).

The changes that take effect on Oct 1 also require officials to take measures that improve supply chain resilience.

Armed forces around the world have been taking a closer look at the supply chains that provide their hardware.

The US is asking defence contractors to identify sources in adversary countries – a drive that took on greater urgency after China limited exports of some rare earth minerals and permanent magnets in 2025.

India is also highlighting the need to localise defence production as a lesson from the Iran war. 

China has made major progress in tackling some choke points in its military tech, such as specialised alloys and hypersonic weapons, but it still relies on foreign supplies of high-end chips and design software.

Earlier this month, the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense reiterated the need to speed up building a secure supply chain and step up innovation.

More broadly, China has been pushing the use of homemade tech in sectors involving sensitive data, including in the military and at state-owned firms.

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