The global balance of power is being challenged by China’s rapidly advancing military capabilities.
Beijing has its sights on hypersonics, AI and even Space and Dr James Bosbotinis, a freelance defence expert, told BFBS Forces News China wants to “be at the cutting edge, defend itself and have technological self-sufficiency”.
He said China has “the ambition of possessing what it defines as world-class armed forces by the latter part of this decade”.
This will also coincide with the centenary of the foundation of the People’s Liberation Army.
But why is China so determined to have the world’s best military, and how does it plan to achieve this?
Contextually, Beijing’s move comes after the Century of Humiliation, a period from the mid-19th to mid-20th century when China fell behind other global powers in technology and was subject to foreign influence.
It is a driving factor for China, which is determined to ensure it never happens again.
So what does this look like in practice? China is investing big time in military tech.
The country’s naval power has seen unprecedented growth with Beijing focused on expanding its fleet and wanting to establish itself as a dominant force.
Dr Bosbotinis said that over the past 10 years, China has introduced a former Soviet aircraft carrier and is also operating the latest variant of the J-15, the J-15B.
“China has launched and has done sea trials of the first of its catapult-equipped aircraft carriers, the largest aircraft carrier built outside of the United States,” he said.
Within China’s naval fleet, there is a special mention of its submarines – it has 12 nuclear and 48 diesel-powered submarines.
“The aforementioned Type-96 next-generation ballistic missile submarine, a similar new nuclear-powered attack submarine, the Type-95, is believed to be under development,” he said.
“It’s launching an improved variant of the Type-9, the Type-93 B, which reportedly incorporates a vertical launch system for land-attack missiles.”
The importance of air superiority isn’t lost on Beijing, and China has invested heavily in developing advanced fighter jets and drones.
Dr Bosbotinis said China is now operating “the second largest fleet of fifth-generation fighters, centred currently on the J-20, outside of the United States”.
“With over 200 J-20s now believed to be in service,” he said. “They are developing a new 5th generation aircraft, the J-35.
“The United States has suggested China is also developing a regional advanced bomber.
“It’s developing a plethora of uncrewed air systems, from the tactical through to the strategic.”
China’s commitment to leading the way is becoming clear, but one of its most significant breakthroughs in military technology has been the development of hypersonic weapons.
One in particular, the DF-17, can travel at speeds over Mach 5 making it incredibly hard to detect and intercept.
With a range of around 1,500-2,500km, it can target US bases and allied facilities in the Indo-Pacific region.
Dr Bosbotinis said this means China has “perhaps the most advanced deployed hypersonic weapons capability, considering the DF-17, the YJ-21”.
The DF-17 is a Chinese medium-range missile system equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle, whereas the YJ-21 is a hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missile.
“Potentially, a hypersonic glide vehicle payload for the DF-26 and a long-range ballistic missile called the DF-27, as well as its potential hypersonic cruise missile capabilities,” he continued.
“Of course, much of China’s progress in this area is classified.”
This makes it hard to know exactly what is going on, but the People’s Liberation Army is also believed to be ramping up in the nuclear sphere.
It’s now understood to have more than 500 warheads and is on track to exceed 1,000 by 2030.
Space isn’t being forgotten about either, with China ramping up its investments in space-based military capabilities.
“From the Chinese perspective, their most likely high-end adversary would be the United States,” Dr Bosbotinis explains.
“When your adversary depends substantially on space for its advanced military capabilities, precision navigation targeting for example, you would want to hold at risk that capability.”
So, as China expands its military capabilities, global power dynamics are shifting and the rest of the world have to work out how to respond.
