New ‘sixth-generation’ Chinese warplane triggers concerns over strategic gap in India

Images of the plane released online last week are expected to increase the pressure on New Delhi to modernise its military

Reading Time:3 minutes

The plane was spotted in the skies above Sichuan last week. Photo: X/ 醉美武功

Published: 6:00am, 1 Jan 2025

News of China’s latest warplane, widely believed to be a sixth-generation model, has triggered a debate in India about how best to respond amid warnings of a growing “strategic gap”.

The aircraft, believed to feature cutting-edge stealth and endurance capabilities, surprised the world when details first emerged last week.

The aircraft’s capabilities could mean a major shift in aerial dominance, posing a potential threat to global military powers, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, said The Economic Times, India’s leading business newspaper.

“As tensions rise with the United States over issues such as Taiwan and the South China Sea, the J-36 [the plane’s speculative name] serves as both a symbol of China’s growing strength and a practical asset for expanding its military influence,” it said.

It signals a “huge leap” and increases the pressure on India to modernise its military, according to Pradip R. Sagar, a senior editor with India Today, a major English-language news magazine in India.

“With tensions already high along the Line of Actual Control, [the disputed Himalayan border between the two countries] the jet could widen the strategic gap between the two nations,” he wrote.