US Air Force to close China Aerospace Studies Institute

The United States Air Force is shutting down its dedicated research centre focused on analysing China's military capabilities, in a move that eliminates one of the Pentagon's key open-source intelligence units on Beijing's armed forces.

The China Aerospace Studies Institute, which examined Chinese military air, space, cyber and missile developments, announced on Tuesday that Air University — the Air Force institution under which it operates — had decided to close it down. All of its functions are set to become unfunded from October.

The closure removes a significant analytical resource at a time when US-China military tensions remain elevated and scrutiny of Beijing's defence programmes is considered a strategic priority.