China utilizes technology companies affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army, such as “CETC” (Convention and Technology Corporation of China), to develop simultaneous attack tactics. These tactics rely on simulating ship movements and integrating surveillance data and artificial intelligence to coordinate missile strikes from multiple platforms (land, sea, and submarine) with high precision. These models serve as a proactive simulation of conflicts in the Pacific Ocean, monitoring tensions in the Gulf. The role of Chinese companies in developing simultaneous strike tactics is highlighted by: (Shipping Pattern Simulation): Chinese companies are developing transmission and reception systems that produce decoy signals mimicking the movement patterns of oil tankers and cargo ships. This confuses threat analysis teams and conceals actual military movements. This is achieved through coordination via Chinese satellite technology, known as Beidou. The use of directional antenna arrays synchronized with the Chinese Beidou coastal navigation system allows for coordinated strikes from different platforms to reach the target simultaneously.
The Chinese electronics technology company, known as “CETC,” is the backbone of this Chinese military approach, serving as a key technological arm of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the field of information technology and intelligence in modern warfare.
The most prominent feature of this Chinese technological approach is the development of swarm attack tactics. CETC focuses on developing software capable of coordinating hundreds of platforms simultaneously to overwhelm enemy defenses, such as aircraft carrier strike groups with coordinated attacks arriving simultaneously from different directions. The Chinese electronics technology company “CETC” is also working on developing digital twins:
The company uses sophisticated simulations of ship movements and environmental conditions, allowing commanders to test and modify attack scenarios in real time based on surveillance data. While the China Electronics Technology Corporation (CETC) is working on the data fusion through the integration of military, combat, and offensive field data together through advanced technologies. Here, satellite, drone, and ground radar data are linked through a unified command system supported by artificial intelligence, reducing the “fog of war” and enabling precise guidance of cruise and ballistic missiles, such as the DF-21D & DF-26.
Here, CETC’s technologies enable multi-platform targeting by linking land platforms, surface ships, and submarines to form a unified fire network. A platform in the rear can launch the missile, while a forward platform (closer to the target) handles the final guidance. This activity falls under China’s “military-civil fusion” strategy, which aims to blur the lines between technological innovation, commercial, and advanced military applications.
Here, Chinese military technology companies aim to develop “deception” and “saturation” tactics. These advanced Chinese military tactics aim to draw enemy intelligence agencies into predictable reaction loops and overwhelm surveillance systems with information, thus ensuring the success of simultaneous missile strikes. Chinese military technology companies also assist in the process of “military field data integration,” contributing to linking naval sensors with missile launch platforms, ensuring high accuracy and synchronized timing of strikes from different angles.
We find that these Chinese military experiments and tactics are not isolated, but rather aim at a process of “strategic readiness” to build the People’s Liberation Army’s capabilities to deal with confrontation scenarios in the Pacific Ocean. This is achieved by studying and implementing attack models in tense environments such as the Gulf region.
The China Electronics Technology Group Corporation “CETC” is a key pillar in the indirect technological and military support that China provides to Iran in its confrontation with the United States and Israel. As a Chinese state-owned giant specializing in defense electronics, “CETC” plays a pivotal role in bolstering Iran’s strategic depth through several avenues. “CETC’s” most prominent role in the current conflict between Israel, the United States, and Iran lies in supporting Iranian missile accuracy. Electronic components produced by “CETC,” such as advanced chips and processors, contribute to increasing the accuracy of Iranian ballistic missiles. This support makes Iranian attacks more lethal and more difficult for US and Israeli air defense systems to intercept. Here, the China Electronics Technology Corporation (CETC) is working to provide sovereign technological alternatives: it is playing a role in transitioning the Iranian military architecture from reliance on the American Global Positioning System (GPS) to the Chinese BeiDou-3 satellite navigation system. This system provides Iran with highly accurate, encrypted military signals resistant to Western, American, and Israeli jamming, thus ensuring the continuity of Iranian command and control in the event of local network failures.
On the other hand, “CETC” is also involved in developing surveillance and reconnaissance technologies. Through its subsidiaries, such as Hikvision, CETC provides advanced surveillance systems used within Iran and for securing vital installations. “CETC’s efforts also contribute to the development of software, technologies, and tactics for cooperation in the field of “Signals Intelligence” (SIGINT). This is achieved by providing precise satellite-based terrain maps from China to track US naval movements in the Gulf.
Here, the Chinese electronics technology company “CETC” faces numerous accusations from the US of circumventing sanctions. Washington accuses the company and its subsidiaries of using complex networks of front companies to supply dual-use electronic components, which are supposed to be subject to strict international controls. This has enabled Iran to rebuild its missile arsenal and its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities, despite the technological embargo imposed on Tehran.
Regarding the legal and political status of the Chinese electronics technology company “CETC” and the US sanctions imposed on it, “CETC” and several of its subsidiaries are subject to sanctions by the US Treasury Department due to accusations of their involvement in supporting Iranian weapons programs and cybersecurity violations.
Herein lies the Chinese perspective in confronting Washington and Tel Aviv and their ongoing military strikes against Iran. Beijing believes that maintaining Iran’s strength represents a drain on US resources in the Middle East, weakening Washington’s ability to focus on other areas of Chinese influence, such as Taiwan. These technological contributions by “CETC” to Iran are considered a “silent message” from China to Washington, indicating that Western technological superiority in the region is no longer absolute.
