Chinese General Says Taiwan Could Be Taken With Conventional Arms as Parade Suggested New Hypersonic Missile

Lieutenant General He Lei, retired vice-president of the PLA Academy of Military Sciences, shown in uniform at a Beijing forum. Source: CGTN (state media).

A retired Chinese general has declared that Beijing could achieve unification with Taiwan using conventional weapons alone, even as analysts say last month’s military parade hinted at the development of a new class of hypersonic missile.

Lieutenant General He Lei, the former vice-president of the People’s Liberation Army Academy of Military Sciences, told an audience in Beijing on Wednesday that nuclear weapons were unnecessary in any Taiwan contingency. “Should it become necessary to resolve the Taiwan issue by force, or to employ non-peaceful means, we would not require extensive high-end weapons; conventional weapons would be sufficient,” he said.

The remarks were notable for their bluntness. General He did not speak of reconciliation or compromise, but of the tools needed to “finish the job” if peaceful means failed. He added that any conflict must be fought with restraint, saying victory should come “at minimal cost and with the fewest casualties.” China’s nuclear arsenal, he insisted, remains “entirely for self-defense.”

His comments followed nearly three weeks after Beijing staged a vast parade in Tiananmen Square to mark the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan. That display featured synchronized battalions of troops, armored vehicles, and new fighter aircraft. It was meant to showcase modernization, but journalists in Hong Kong noted that its real significance lay in subtler details.

Among the convoys were missile launchers labeled “CJ-1000.” Analysts who studied the footage said the designation pointed to a new surface-launched hypersonic cruise missile, possibly the world’s first built to destroy aircraft rather than strike the ground.

If the weapon is real, it would represent the most consequential element of the parade: a system designed to hunt U.S. support aircraft such as refueling tankers and airborne early-warning planes. Without them, American fighters and bombers would lose much of their reach and coordination in the Pacific.

Hypersonic systems compress decision-making to seconds, and their ability to strike at long range would threaten the very foundation of U.S. air power. According to military research cited in Hong Kong outlets, such weapons could reach as far as Guam or Hawaii, neutralizing critical support before American forces even entered combat.

The September parade also reinforced China’s growing reliance on conventional strength: its third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, outfitted with an electromagnetic catapult system; new stealth-capable fighter jets for carrier launch; and intercontinental ballistic missiles like the DF-41, which were presented as deterrent forces rather than frontline tools.

The combined message was pointed. General He’s declaration underscored Beijing’s belief that it does not need nuclear escalation to resolve the Taiwan issue. The parade, meanwhile, suggested that China is preparing to undercut U.S. advantages by developing technologies that target the backbone of American air power itself.

For Taiwan, the signals are unsettling. Its defense planning has long focused on resisting a direct invasion across the strait. But Beijing’s strategy now appears to rest on disabling American support systems far from Taiwan’s shores, leaving the island exposed.

For Washington, even the appearance of the CJ-1000 is enough to complicate assumptions. Whether or not the missile is operational, the possibility that it exists forces American planners to factor in the risk of losing vital aircraft before their fighters enter the fight.

General He spoke with the certainty of someone who believes the balance has shifted. Nuclear weapons may be the backdrop, but China is betting that conventional arms — missiles, carriers, and perhaps a new generation of hypersonic “plane-killers” — will be enough to finish the job.