03-05-2019, 10:22 PM
** 5-Mar-2019 Analysis of China's military
A lengthy analysis by CNN of China's military says that China is
rapidly building up its armed forces to fight and win wars, but that
its navy and air force are designed mainly to fight wars with
countries in its neighborhood -- which is consistent with my own
analysis.
The following are excerpts from the article.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/04/asia/chin...index.html
China's military is going from strength to strength under
Xi Jinping
Under Chinese President Xi Jinping, a revolution has been taking place
inside Beijing's armed forces. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has
grown and modernized rapidly since China reopened to the world in the
1980s, but under Xi that pace has accelerated with a focus on
[1]fighting and winning future wars. Xi has also embarked on a
massive internal reorganization of the PLA, streamlining the
organization and bringing it firmly under his control.
Between 2016 and 2017, [7]32 new ships were commissioned by the PLA,
according to US government reports. In comparison, the US commissioned
13.
Since 2014, China has launched more submarines, warships, principal
amphibious vessels and auxiliaries than the total number of ships
currently serving in the navies of Germany, India, Spain, Taiwan and
the United Kingdom, according to [8]a 2018 report by think tank IISS.
"China's navy is receiving warships so quickly that Chinese sources
liken this to dumping dumplings into soup broth," Erickson said. The
Chinese air force has also been regularly debuting new and improved
planes and weapons, including the twin-engine J-20 stealth fighter.
Beijing's air force is now the largest in Asia and the third largest
in the world, according to the US Defense Department, and is closing
the gap with the US [11]"across a spectrum of capabilities."
While the military strengths of the US and China are often compared,
the two governments ostensibly have built their armed forces to serve
different goals. Washington says it aims to maintain a worldwide
reach for its military to protect allies and American interests
internationally. Beijing claims its interests lie closer to home.
The major scenarios that China's military cares about could be called
"home games, rather than away games," Erickson said. The Chinese
government has built a navy and armed forces designed to protect the
country and exert its influence in the surrounding region, especially
the East and South China seas. The proof is in the military hardware
that the two countries have focused on. While the US has a huge fleet
of 12 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, China has barely one
conventionally powered carrier operating, with another in the
wings. The Type 001A, the country's first homegrown aircraft carrier,
was launched in 2018 but still has not joined the fleet.
While the US has a huge fleet of 12 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers,
China has barely one conventionally powered carrier operating, with
another in the wings. The Type 001A, the country's first homegrown
aircraft carrier, was launched in 2018 but still has not joined the
fleet.
Beijing has, however, rapidly produced Jiangdao-class corvettes, a
small warship generally best suited to fighting close to home.
China has undoubtedly made rapid progress. Some experts, however,
doubt its ability to fight as a coherent force or the experience of
its troops.
A lengthy analysis by CNN of China's military says that China is
rapidly building up its armed forces to fight and win wars, but that
its navy and air force are designed mainly to fight wars with
countries in its neighborhood -- which is consistent with my own
analysis.
The following are excerpts from the article.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/04/asia/chin...index.html
China's military is going from strength to strength under
Xi Jinping
Under Chinese President Xi Jinping, a revolution has been taking place
inside Beijing's armed forces. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has
grown and modernized rapidly since China reopened to the world in the
1980s, but under Xi that pace has accelerated with a focus on
[1]fighting and winning future wars. Xi has also embarked on a
massive internal reorganization of the PLA, streamlining the
organization and bringing it firmly under his control.
Between 2016 and 2017, [7]32 new ships were commissioned by the PLA,
according to US government reports. In comparison, the US commissioned
13.
Since 2014, China has launched more submarines, warships, principal
amphibious vessels and auxiliaries than the total number of ships
currently serving in the navies of Germany, India, Spain, Taiwan and
the United Kingdom, according to [8]a 2018 report by think tank IISS.
"China's navy is receiving warships so quickly that Chinese sources
liken this to dumping dumplings into soup broth," Erickson said. The
Chinese air force has also been regularly debuting new and improved
planes and weapons, including the twin-engine J-20 stealth fighter.
Beijing's air force is now the largest in Asia and the third largest
in the world, according to the US Defense Department, and is closing
the gap with the US [11]"across a spectrum of capabilities."
While the military strengths of the US and China are often compared,
the two governments ostensibly have built their armed forces to serve
different goals. Washington says it aims to maintain a worldwide
reach for its military to protect allies and American interests
internationally. Beijing claims its interests lie closer to home.
The major scenarios that China's military cares about could be called
"home games, rather than away games," Erickson said. The Chinese
government has built a navy and armed forces designed to protect the
country and exert its influence in the surrounding region, especially
the East and South China seas. The proof is in the military hardware
that the two countries have focused on. While the US has a huge fleet
of 12 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, China has barely one
conventionally powered carrier operating, with another in the
wings. The Type 001A, the country's first homegrown aircraft carrier,
was launched in 2018 but still has not joined the fleet.
While the US has a huge fleet of 12 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers,
China has barely one conventionally powered carrier operating, with
another in the wings. The Type 001A, the country's first homegrown
aircraft carrier, was launched in 2018 but still has not joined the
fleet.
Beijing has, however, rapidly produced Jiangdao-class corvettes, a
small warship generally best suited to fighting close to home.
China has undoubtedly made rapid progress. Some experts, however,
doubt its ability to fight as a coherent force or the experience of
its troops.
