China has been developing its next generation infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) since the late 1990s. No detailed information regarding the vehicle's design has been revealed apart from a photo published on Internet, showing a Chinese IFV prototype in road test.

It is almost certain that the new Chinese IFV will be based on Russian technology. China has reportedly obtained some BMP-3 IFVs from Russia in the 1990s for trial and evaluation purposes. A technology transfer deal of BMP-3's weapon system has also been reportedly completed.

As the photo shows, the new IFV resembles some features of the BMP-3, including the two-man turret. The main armament is a 100mm gun identical to the Russian 2A70 semi-automatic rifled gun, which is stabilised in two axes and can fire either 3UOF HE-FRAG (High Explosive-Fragmentation) rounds or 3UBK10 anti-tank guided missiles. The Russian design has an effective range of 4,000m for the HE-FRAG round, and the BMP-3 IFV carries 40 rounds, 22 of which are carried on the automatic loader. The max rate of fire is 10 rounds/min.

China has revealed its indigenous 100mm gun-fired laser beamriding anti-tank guided missile, which might also be based on Russian designs such as 3UBK10. The missile is believed to be capable of engaging tanks with explosive reactive armour (ERA) as well as slow, low-flying targets such as helicopters. Range is 100 to 4,000m. Hit probability is given as at least 0.8 with armour penetration of 600mm. Ammunition load is 8 rounds on BMP-3.

Like the BMP-3, the Chinese IFV is also fitted with a two-way stabilised 30mm coaxial automatic gun capable of firing AP (Armour-Piercing) and HE-FRAG rounds. Rate of fire is more than 300 rounds/min and range is 1,500 to 2,000m.