China enlists start-ups in high-tech arms race

China enlists start-ups in high-tech arms race

Defence procurement was once the preserve of a few secretive Chinese state-owned conglomerates © Bloomberg China’s military is increasingly enlisting smaller private sector start-ups in the race to create the next generation of high-tech weaponry. Once the preserve of a few secretive Chinese state-owned conglomerates, the lucrative realm of defence procurement is gradually being opened to nimbler, cheaper and more innovative private sector start-ups. While the process of including the private sector in military procurement tenders on a large scale started in 2013, it is only recently that the People’s Liberation Army has sourced sensitive next-generation technology such as drones and artificial intelligence from private start-ups. The new strategy has been pioneered by President Xi Jinping who this year created a Military-Civil Integration Development Commission with himself as head.  The fruits…


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