"China is pursuing a number of advanced military capabilities with disruptive potential such as hypersonic weapons, electromagnetic railguns, directed energy weapons, and counterspace capabilities," the Defence Department said in its 2019 China Military Power Report to Congress.
China successfully tested hypersonic glide vehicles last year, according to the report.
"In August 2018, China successfully tested the XINGKONG-2 (Starry Sky-2), which it publicly described as a hypersonic waverider vehicle," the report said.
READ MORE: US Racing China, Europe to Develop First Exascale Supercomputer by 2021
The Defence Department said China's willingness to rapidly deploy emerging technologies at a massive scale means its military would quickly reap the benefits of any scientific breakthrough.
