Reuters March 05, 2010
Facts about China's military forces-FACTBOX
China has kept the latest rise in its defence budget to 7.5 percent in 2010, a slowdown that left observers sceptical as Beijing ploughs ahead with military modernisation.
Following is a brief overview of China's defence forces:
WORLD'S BIGGEST ARMY:
- The People's Liberation Army (PLA) was born out of the Red Army, a 5 million-strong peasant army that swept Communist leader Mao Zedong to power in 1949. The Soviet Union helped organise the PLA into the more cohesive force that fought in the 1950-1953 Korean War.
- China has said its defence budget for 2010 will be 532.1 billion yuan ($77.95 billion), an increase of 37.1 billion yuan over what was actually spent in 2009. Many analysts believe real military spending is much higher, however. The U.S. military budget is still higher, with a record $708 billion proposed for fiscal year 2011.
- China's 2.3 million-strong armed forces are far bigger than the world's second-largest military, that of the United States, whose forces number around 1.5 million.
- China is trying to transform the PLA into a smaller, sleeker modern force capable of short, high-intensity conflicts against high-tech adversaries.
- China has never renounced the use of force to bring self-ruled and democratic Taiwan, which it considers its sovereign territory, under Beijing's rule.
PLA NAVY:
- The PLA Navy has about 290,000 personnel and about 72 combat ships, many of which are aged vessels. President Hu Jintao has made the navy's modernisation a priority, and it is upgrading its destroyers and frigates to range further and strike harder.
- Chinese warships also assist in anti-piracy patrols in waters off Somalia.
- China bought the Varyag, a semi-finished Russian aircraft carrier, a few years ago, but it is unclear whether the Varyag will be put into service or used as a training deck and template for a Chinese-made carrier.
- China in recent years has bought eight Russian-made non-nuclear submarines, adding to four bought in the 1990s. It has also built or is planning its own new submarines, including nuclear-powered ones, to replenish its fleet of nearly 60 aging subs.
PLA AIR FORCE:
- China boasts the world's third-largest air force, with about 400,000 personnel and 2,000 combat aircraft.
- An Oct. 1 parade marking the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China featured bombers, unmanned aircraft, reconnaissance and rescue helicopters. Pride of place went to the F-11, a fighter adapted by China from Russian models.
MISSILES, NUCLEAR WEAPONS:
- 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.
- U.S. strategists say China may develop anti-ship ballistic missile capability to deter aircraft carriers.
- The successful missile "kill" of an old satellite in early 2007 represented a new level of ability for the Chinese military, and in January this year China successfully tested emerging military technology aimed at destroying missiles in mid-air.
($1=6.826 yuan)
(Sources: Reuters, International Institute for Strategic Studies. http://www.globalsecurity.org/index.html; U.S. Department of Defence; Congressional Research Service; Federation of American Scientists)
(Writing by Ben Blanchard, Lucy Hornby and Chris Buckley; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and Chris Allbritton)
© Copyright 2010, Thompson Reuters
