At the monthly press conference on 29 October, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, asked about new colleges including an Unmanned Intelligence Engineering College at the Army Engineering University, confirmed that the Central Military Commission has adjusted the academic and specialty layout of military academies, establishing and reorganising internal colleges and renaming NCO schools. At the same briefing he criticised Japan for pursuing mass production of unmanned equipment and munitions stockpiling under the banner of transforming its way of fighting, and explained China's attaché-level attendance at the ADMM-Plus by saying a Philippine politician had 'imposed obstacles' to its participation.
Institutionalising training for unmanned and intelligent operations
The reporter's question named three new colleges, the Unmanned Intelligence Engineering College of the Army Engineering University, an Operational Support NCO College and a Discipline Inspection and Political-Legal College of the National Defense University; the spokesman's answer repeated none of the names, describing the change as a layout adjustment for 'high-quality development' and 'new-type professional military talent'. Reports in early October said the unmanned-intelligence college received its unit flag on 30 September and consolidates programmes on operational data and intelligent decision-making and on command and control of unmanned operations. The official confirmation thus establishes that training for unmanned and intelligent operations has been written into the structure of officer education.
Criticism of Japan's mass production of unmanned equipment
On Japan, the spokesman said Tokyo plans a public campaign to justify transforming its operational methods, including mass production of unmanned equipment and stockpiling of munitions, and labelled this 'neo-militarism'. He also referred to the US–Japan exercises and deployments to Yonaguni and cited Japan's own figure of 442 scrambles, 285 of them against Chinese aircraft. With the Japanese government preparing to make large-scale drone acquisition a pillar of this year's revision of the three security documents, Beijing's decision to single out unmanned production marks an axis of the coming dispute.
Attaché-level attendance at the ADMM-Plus, and the Zhuhai airshow
China was represented at the ADMM-Plus by its defence attaché in Manila, Senior Captain Yang Lei, the lowest level of representation since the forum began in 2010 according to the Global Times. The spokesman did not name the 'politician' he accused, and Philippine Defence Secretary Teodoro replied that ASEAN itself should decide how China is heard. Defence Minister Dong Jun's absence coincided with the Party's Central Committee plenum. The spokesman also announced that events for the Air Force's 77th anniversary on 11 November will be linked to the 16th Zhuhai Airshow, with drone light shows in Zhuhai and Changchun, and deflected a question on the KJ-3000 early-warning aircraft to 'official Zhuhai information'.
Sources
Primary sources
- 1
国防部举行例行记者会（2026年10月）
中国国防部 · External site - 2
Reporting
- 3
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China says Philippine politician 'imposed obstacles' to its participation at ASEAN defence meeting
Source checked 30 Oct 2026
Reuters（SRN News掲載） · External site - 5
- 6
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AI & Security Observatory（2026-10-29）「中国国防部、軍学校の学科再編を確認 無人智能工程学院の新設が問われ、日本の無人装備量産を「新軍国主義」と批判」『AI & Security Observatory』、第1.0版、最終更新2026-10-30。https://ai-security-observatory.org/ja/brief/brief-20261030-04/
AI & Security Observatory (2026-10-29). China's MND confirms a restructuring of military academies as a new Unmanned Intelligence Engineering College is raised, and calls Japan's mass production of unmanned equipment 'neo-militarism' . AI & Security Observatory, version 1.0. Updated 2026-10-30. https://ai-security-observatory.org/en/brief/brief-20261030-04/
Version 1.0 · Publication date 29 Oct 2026 · Updated 30 Oct 2026
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