China's defence spending: factbox

[foxhound]

Salaam.......

ref:China's defence spending: factbox - Telegraph

China's defence spending: factbox

China's ambitious military modernisation programme and growing defence spending has caused alarm around the region and in Washington.

Soldiers from Chinese PLA Special Operations Forces marching in formation during training session on the outskirts of Beijing Photo: REUTERS12:05PM GMT 04 Mar 2011

China says it needs to upgrade its outmoded forces and that its plans are not a threat to any country, pointing out its defence budget is far lower than the United States.

Here are some facts about China's defence capabilities, military modernisation and some of the weapons systems that have attracted attention:


AIR FORCE:

- In January, China confirmed it had held its first test flight of the J-20 stealth fighter jet, a show of muscle during a visit by Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, aimed at defusing military tensions between the two powers.

- Some analysts have said the development of the J-20 is a strong sign that China is making faster-than-expected progress in developing a rival to Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor, the world's only operational stealth fighter designed to evade detection by enemy radar. However, deployment is likely to be years away and Mr Gates said ahead of his visit to China that he thought there was some question as to "just how stealthy" it really was.

- Along with the development of its aeronautics industry, China is developing a formidable design capacity. Its most advanced aircraft in service, and for the United States potentially the most threatening, are Russian Su-30 and Su-27 fighters.

- Modernisation has also included developing in-flight refuelling capacity to give its fighters a greater reach, and early warning aircraft.

NAVY:

- President Hu Jintao has made the navy's modernisation a priority. It is upgrading its destroyers and frigates to sail further and strike harder.

- China could launch its first aircraft carrier this year, according to Chinese military and political sources, a year earlier than US military analysts had expected, underscoring its growing maritime power and assertiveness.

- The cost of building a medium-sized conventionally powered, 60,000-tonne carrier similar to the Russian Kuznetsov class is likely to be more than $2 billion. China is likely to acquire at least two.

- China is building new "Jin-class" ballistic missile submarines, capable of launching nuclear warheads while at sea. It has built a naval base on Hainan, the island-province in the south, that can serve submarines.


MISSILES:

- US officials have taken note of recent disclosures of advances in China's capabilities, including in its anti-ship ballistic missile programme, which could challenge U.S. aircraft carriers in the Pacific.

- The successful missile "kill" of an old satellite in early 2007 represented a new level of ability for the Chinese military, and in January last year China successfully tested emerging technology aimed at destroying missiles in mid-air.

- China has an estimated 1,400 missiles aimed at Taiwan, according to the Taipei government. China has vowed to bring the democratically-ruled island under mainland rule, by force if necessary.

- China's arsenal includes between 100 and 400 nuclear weapons, controlled by the Second Artillery Corps. China has pledged never to be the first to use nuclear weapons. Its deterrent force includes intercontinental ballistic missiles, and land- and submarine-based missiles.


ARMY:

- China is trying to transform the 2.3 million-strong People's Liberation Army into a smaller, sleeker modern force capable of short, high-intensity conflicts against high-tech adversaries.

 

[foxhound]

ref:China may be spending more on its military than it lets on - Telegraph

China may be spending more on its military than it lets onExperts believe that China’s military spending may be far higher than the government has reported.

Soldiers from Chinese PLA Special Operations Forces marching in formation during training session on the outskirts of Beijing Photo: REUTERSBy Emanuelle Degli Esposti 10:55AM GMT 04 Mar 2011

Li Zhaoxing, China’s parliamentary spokesman, announced on Friday that the government will beef up its defence budget by 12.7 per cent this year, up from 7.5 per cent in 2010.

But Dean Cheng, a China security expert at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, said the announcement is unlikely to tell the whole story.

“It’s widely accepted that these figures bear only a marginal relationship with the actual overall spending. Overall, it means the Chinese are saying we are going to [boost] our defence budget, whatever the real numbers are,” he affirmed.

The country’s growing military clout has coincided with a more assertive diplomatic tone. China had several spats last year with Japan and southeast Asia over disputed islands, and also with Washington over trade, the yuan currency, and human rights.

China, now the world’s second-largest economy, often points out that its defence spending pales in comparison with the United States and that its military upgrades are for defensive purposes.

Mr Li said the military spending rise was justified. and that China poses no threat to anyone.

“China’s defence spending is relatively low by world standards,” he said, “China has always paid attention to restraining defence spending.”

But China has made some eye-catching moves in recent months, none more so than conducting its first test flight of a stealth fighter jet when Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary, was visiting Beijing in January.

There are concerns that signals may prompt greater wariness from neighbours.

Xu Guangyu, a retired Chinese military officer, said the spending rise was needed to cope with inflation, which was eating into paychecks and equipment outlays.

“In the next two years the wages of some military personnel will have to rise relatively quickly, because inflation is quite high,” he said.

“Military equipment, uniforms and logistics are all feeling the pressure of price rises.”

 

[ZhengHe]

so what -.-

China is also the country with the biggest population, so it's normal that military size complement the population. You won't expect Luxembourg to have the worlds biggest army, but you would for China. And a big army is not a strong army without the best equipment so China is working on just that. Add that to China's previous century's history and the aggressive US military surrounding it presently; why is it even a surprise that China is doing this?

This is extremely logical and rational.

 

[rcrmj]

china has very reason to have the biggest and strongest army, look at its size, population and economy potential. especially with the aggressive US foreign polices.

 

[siegecrossbow]

The most threatening fighter is probably the J-10 and not the Su-27 or Su-30.

 

[Aramsogo]

The most threatening fighter is probably the J-10 and not the Su-27 or Su-30.

Do you know any formal PLAAF kill ratios in games between J-10 and Sukhoi? Thanks.