Propaganda and Reality in China’s Weapons Development
China has become skilled at using military parades to showcase new weapons, projecting an image of parity with the United States. Yet Western defense analysts recognize a recurring pattern: propaganda consistently runs ahead of technical maturity.
The J-20 stealth fighter is the clearest example. From its first appearance, it was promoted as China’s answer to the F-22. But for over a decade, it relied on Russian engines that lacked the thrust and stealth refinements needed for true fifth-generation performance. China’s domestic WS-15 engine, intended to close that gap, has suffered years of delays and reliability issues. Only recently has it begun entering limited service, and its durability is still unproven. In practice, the J-20 has long been a stealthy airframe paired with engines a generation behind — a stark contrast to the parade-ground narrative of immediate fifth-generation parity.
Other cases show the same dynamic. The DF-41 ICBM is hailed as road-mobile, yet its enormous launcher vehicles are confined to reinforced routes, making it far less flexible than advertised. The Type 055 destroyer looks formidable with its size and missile load, but faces propulsion reliability issues and lacks the proven at-sea testing that underpins U.S. AEGIS destroyers. The carrier program has produced large hulls but still lags in aircraft capability and operational doctrine. The Jin-class SSBNs give China a nominal sea-based deterrent, but their noise and missile range severely constrain their credibility.
Western analysts are well aware of this pattern. Still, some commentators, dazzled by the imagery of China’s parades, talk as if the United States should retreat from the Western Pacific. The evidence suggests the opposite: China’s military is advancing, but the gap between propaganda and reliable, combat-proven capability remains wide. The J-20, showcased as a peer to America’s stealth fighters but hobbled for years by engine immaturity, illustrates this gap better than anything else.
