 |
| PLAAF J-10 Fighter (File Photo) |
By WENDELL MINNICK
TAIPEI — China’s military modernization efforts over the past 20 years have been marked by broad efforts, according to an expert, as opposed to focusing on specific services.
“So, we see new naval forces, air forces, ground forces and missile forces,” said Dean Cheng, a China military specialist at the Heritage Foundation.
That level of wide-ranging spending, combined with aggressive regional moves — dubbed “tailored coercion” — is what is putting neighbors on edge, experts say.
In March, China announced it was spending $131 billion, up 12.2 percent from the 2013 budget of $119 billion. This year marks 17 straight years of near-double-digit increases in defense spending.
The Chinese Air Force boasts new fighters, upgraded strike aircraft and new surface-to-air missile systems. The Navy has new surface combatants in serial production, new nuclear and diesel-powered submarines, a refurbished aircraft carrier with new ones under construction, amphibious assault ships, and the expansion of its naval infantry. The Second Artillery Corps has a variety of new missiles, including a new road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile, the DF-41, capable of carrying several nuclear warheads.
Read the full story at DefenseNews