Chinese Military Reaping Benefits From Ukraine War Without Having To Fire A Single Shot

China is studying Russia’s bloody war in Ukraine, and experts say the lessons learned could make Beijing think twice about invading Taiwan.

The Chinese military is drawing lessons from Russian battlefield tactics and Ukraine’s successful attacks against Russian warships, airfields and military installations, according to a new Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) report. The findings raise questions about whether Beijing could use the conflict to improve its chances in a future war over Taiwan, potentially challenging American military superiority in the Indo-Pacific, according to the CSIS analysis published Wednesday.

“Russian experience in its war against Ukraine is of exceptional strategic, tactical, and operational value to Communist China,” Matthew Boyse, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Beijing has been building up its military for decades but, despite its massive capabilities, has not fought a hot war since 1979 and its military lacks battlefield experience, [especially] in the most modern forms of warfare, which it can only get from [Russia].”

China has also helped sustain Russia’s war effort by supplying dual-use technology, including weapons components, industrial equipment and raw materials used in military production, according to NATO.

The researchers examined more than 90 Chinese-language sources published between July 2022 and August 2026, including military publications, defense industry research and government announcements. They discovered that Chinese analysts typically identify new battlefield tactics within four months, although implementing those lessons often takes at least a year, according to CSIS.

Their findings suggest that Chinese military planners are particularly interested in learning from Russia’s vulnerabilities, including its difficulties defending expensive military equipment against inexpensive Ukrainian drones.

Nearly half the Chinese sources examined appeared in publications associated with defense industrial institutions. These organizations develop weapons and military technology, providing a pathway for battlefield observations to influence Chinese procurement and equipment design, according to CSIS.

“China alone is not getting ahead of anyone,” Steve Bucci, a retired Army colonel and visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Phillip N. Truluck Center for Leadership Development, told the DCNF. “China’s tech is not that good (look at the total failure of the Chinese air defense systems in protecting Iran) … It will be an addition to warfighting techniques, on all sides, but not a breakthrough for one side against all others.”

“The CSIS report suggests that China is studying Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russian warships and airfields partly because they raise questions about vulnerabilities in its own forces,” Stephen Herzog, a Professor of the Practice at Middlebury College, told the DCNF. “That makes sense. But studying Russian mistakes isn’t proof that Beijing could simply avoid them in a potential conflict over Taiwan. The Pentagon should be taking these lessons seriously too, pairing advanced weapons with affordable drone defenses and ensuring that bases can keep operating even when under attack.”