China's military power[ 427 ]

China says military arsenal comperable with west

BEIJING (AP) -(Mainichi Japan) September 27, 2009-

China's military now possesses most of the sophisticated weapon systems found in the arsenals of developed Western nations, the country's defense minister said.

Many of China's systems, including the J-10 fighter jet, latest-generation tanks, navy destroyers, and cruise and intercontinental ballistic missiles, match or are close to matching the capabilities of those in the West, Liang Guanglie said in a rare interview posted Monday on the ministry's Web site.

"This is an extraordinary achievement that speaks to the level of our military's modernization and the huge change in our country's technological strength," Liang said.

But an analyst said the claim was likely directed at the Chinese public and exaggerated its technological prowess.

The minister's remarks come ahead of the country's biggest military parade in a decade scheduled for the Oct. 1 National Day in Beijing. That event will showcase much of the country's most advanced equipment, the fruit of a booming economy and nearly two decades of annual double-digit percentage increases in the defense budget.

Liang said he believed the parade would "display the image of a mighty force, a civilized force, a victorious force."

In its 2009 report on Beijing's military power, the Pentagon ranked Chinese defense technology below that of the United States -- as it always has -- but noted that the country's armed forces have improved their capacity to carry out operations away from its shores and deny other militaries access to its airspace and seas off its coast.

Hans M. Kristensen, an expert on the Chinese military at the Federation of American Scientists, said Liang's comments may have overestimated the country's capabilities.

"Although Western countries are concerned and uncertain about China's military modernization, China hasn't gone through the wars that have shaped and sharpened the swords and strategies of the Western militaries," Kristensen said. "It takes a great deal more than building a weapon system for it to be technologically comparable."

The 2.3 million-member People's Liberation Army is the world's largest standing military and its modernization has been accompanied by gradual steps toward greater engagement with the outside world. Liang said China has contributed 13,000 troops to U.N. peace keeping operations along with three navy flotillas to join in anti-piracy patrols of the coast of Somalia.

Despite such moves, however, the PLA remains largely a closed shop and military ties with the United States and other nations are often hobbled by disputes over Taiwan and other political issues.

China's improved capabilities are also seen as emboldening the country's military and civilian leaders in using force to back up political and territorial claims. Chinese ships have repeatedly harassed U.S. Navy surveillance vessels collecting intelligence off China's southeastern coast, while Chinese submarines have aggressively pursued aircraft carrier battle groups.

And while relations with Taiwan have warmed in recent months, Beijing continues to add to the hundreds of missiles it has pointed at the self-governing island that China considers its own territory -- to be unified with by force if need be.

Analysts say the odds of conflict with the U.S., Japan and other regional militaries is likely to increase as China further beefs up its arsenal.

China announced a 14.9 percent rise in military spending in its 2009 budget, to 480.6 billion yuan ($70.3 billion). Many observers say actual Chinese military spending is much higher.