money can’t buy competent, courage, operational readiness , combat experience,
thanks for your comment. I agree with your point fully that money alone can not buy a strong and competent military force!
So instead of "buy everything from foreign countries", what PLA doing is:
1) indigenous development of all defense systems;
2) extensive/close-to-real military exercises
In terms of the indigenous development of all defense systems, what we usually see on the screen is the final product itself, e.g. the complete J20, or Type 052D destroyer. But what not easily seen is the efforts that China makes for develop the sub-systems, or the components of the sub-systems, or the machines to produce these components. Below are just two tiny examples, one is the 80,000-Ton press machine developed by China to produce the large-size structural parts of the military plane; another is the titanium part of an unnamed military plane. The titanium part is produced by 3D printing (laser direct manufacturing)
With respect to military drills, PLA does not have the chance to do a real modern combat, so the only compensation PLA could do is to put its soldiers in extensive/close-to-real military exercises. Here is just one small example.
The following news from China Central Television mentions two interesting things:
1) In Autumn 2016, a confrontation drill between the PLA Rocket Force (PLARF) vs. the Air Defense units of PLAAF. Within this single drill, PLARF launched 10 ballistic missiles; and PLAAF launched several tens of air defense missiles to intercept the ballistic missiles (maybe 2~3 air defense missiles for every ballistic missile?). I think the amount of the missiles consumed in this single drill alone (10 ballistic missiles + 20~30 HQ-9/S300 alike missiles) is close to the total missile inventory of most countries.
2) PLARF did 20 Tianjian-series (天剑/Sky Sword) drills in 2016. And nearly 100 ballistic missiles fired in these Tianjian-series drills. Considering the Tianjian exercises are just part of the drills that PLARF joins, I won't be surprised that PLARF consumed 200 ballistic missiles, or more, in different drills in 2016. I.e the ballistic missiles consumed by PLARF in one single year, has been more than the total inventory of most countries.
Of course such drills can not fully imitate a real modern combat, but this is already the best that could be performed in peaceful time. Compared to other countries, who lacks of the experience in a real modern combat neither, meanwhile still reluctant to fire real missiles (in large quantity) in military exercises, I'm happy to see PLA is moving in the right path.
The PLARF video mentioned:
http://tv.cctv.com/2016/12/27/VIDE3MYVTOf7Yrq2uCaUANzy161227.shtml
) In VN, you only can be died by traffic. when I was child people always said if im not good, i will be sold to China, hi
