Modern militaries, he said, are now "building weapons for the wars they expect to fight, rather than fighting wars with the weapons they possess." China wants to help define the next era of warfare through artificial intelligence, quantum technology, hypersonic missiles, laser weapons and autonomous systems. The PLA has accelerated work on advanced aircraft carrier technology, AI powered drone swarms, underwater autonomous vehicles, electronic warfare and high performance computing. Among the most closely watched programs are hypersonic weapons, quantum communications and artificial intelligence. China is widely regarded as a leader in hypersonic missile development and has spent years building quantum communication networks that could strengthen secure military communications.