China moves private firms into defence AI as PLA pursues disruptive tech

Hangzhou‑based Jingan Technology is marketing its Jingqi Global Situational Awareness System as China’s equivalent to U.S. platforms such as Palantir Gotham and Anduril Lattice. The company claims its AI‑driven analysis detected a large concentration of U.S. surveillance assets in the Middle East more than 50 days before the United States launched air strikes on Iran, and its software is already used within Chinese public‑security and military units.

The People’s Liberation Army, marking its 99th anniversary, is accelerating a push for "disruptive" technologies, guided by the doctrine of asymmetric advantage outlined in the 1999 book *Unrestricted Warfare*. As the PLA seeks capabilities in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, hypersonic weapons and directed‑energy systems, the Chinese government’s military‑civil fusion strategy increasingly integrates private tech firms into the defence sector.