Continuing the theme of a newly assertive China, the Congressionally-mandated U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s latest report to lawmakers highlights the fact that the previously inward-focused nation is getting serious about offensive operations outside its territory.
From the paper’s executive summary:
Augmenting its modernization efforts, Beijing has expanded the PLA Air Force’s focus in recent years from solely concentrating on territorial defense operations to now include extraterritorial offensive operations.
It goes on to say:
As China’s air and missile modernization efforts progress, Beijing’s ability to threaten U.S. forward deployed forces and bases in the region is improving. Any PLA missile strikes and air raids against U.S. bases, if successful, could force the temporary closure of regional U.S. bases and inhibit the U.S. military’s ability to operate effectively in East Asia. In addition, the future deployment of an antiship ballistic missile could seriously interfere with the U.S. military’s freedom of access to the region.
Furthermore, China’s rapidly growing civil aviation industry is not only likely to one day rival Western giants like Boeing and Airbus, but also to fuel the development of advanced military technology.
Given the close integration of China’s commercial and military aviation sectors, advances in China’s commercial aviation industry gained through interactions with western aviation manufacturers directly benefit China’s defense aviation industry. As China’s commercial aircraft manufacturing capabilities improve, newly acquired technology and know-how, such as composite materials production, are directly transferred to the defense aviation sector.
Over the past decade, China’s aviation industrial base, with the strong support of the Chinese government, has improved substantially. China currently is capable of developing and producing both advanced commercial and military aircraft and seeks to compete with foreign aviation manufacturing companies in the near future. Despite these advances, however, the industry continues to experience some problems, most notably in producing advanced engines.
Among other things, this spells bad news — in the military sense — for U.S. ally Taiwan, according to the report.
China’s continued military buildup against Taiwan has resulted in a balance that increasingly favors the mainland, especially in regard to Taiwan’s air defense capabilities.
The document goes on to warn that this could someday threaten U.S. interests in the region, including “freedom of navigation.” It also says that Asian nations may want to increase ties to the U.S. in order to hedge against rising Chinese power. The paper goes on to discuss more than just defense; it touches on everything from Chinese alternative energy initiatives to Beijing’s “Internet-related Activities.“
While we’ve heard a lot of this before, any report that informs lawmakers is important since it can influence their decisions on which defense programs to fund and which to cut.
Here’s a copy of the report.
Well done to InsideDefense.com for spotting the report.
{ 107 comments… read them below or add one }
Pilots that are able to march in that good a formation, all in step, will also be very formidable opponents in the air. Amazing team work for aircrew types. very impressive, the Chicom AF will certainly be a force to reckon with.
Are you kidding? Looking good while marching in formation means, drum roll please, that you can march in formation. That's it.
whoever underestimate their opponent will only have themselves to blame
Also, "Chicom"? I keep seeing this old term re-surface in blog comments. It's not 1950 anymore: there is no democratic government fighting the communists on the mainland. Ergo, they are just Chinese.
That doesn't change that they still have a Communist government…..
The government is communist in name only, it really doesn't adhere to communism anymore.
Tell that to the Christians and minorities in hiding there…..
Export policy =/= internal economic policies.
You're absolutely correct Jacob, now it's a full on dictatorship. What do you think would happen if you tried to verbally cross their president?
We learned to walk in formation in Navy boot camp. Doesn't make us formidable at flying anything wether a jet or a kite. No offense….
You guys just don’t have as well developed a sense of humor as Bob does.
China still has 70+ million people living in poverty, yet they seem hell-bent on spending money to invade Taiwan and possibly defeat the U.S in a air and sea battle some day.
Victory abroad means not having to answer pesky questions at home. Beat a peasant enough and they can subsist on nothing more than "national pride".
That's 70+ million out of 1.330 billion, or 5.26%.
As compared to 43.569 million out of 303.820 million, or 14.34% living in poverty in the US.
Just to put things in context, y'know?
But our poverty mean cheap apartments, their's means wooden shacks. Just to put things in context.
would you rather be in a wooden shack on in an asbestos-walled apartment?
Yes, actually I would…..
And your point is…?
poverty is a big problem in the states as well
We do not have poverty that meets the world bank standard of people making less than like a $1 a day. China has 300 million people at that level and it's areas that grow food are chief amongst them. That is potentially a huge social problem, to say nothing of a strategic hamstring.
I'm pretty sure two decades ago it was three times that. Their economy has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty.
Their under-paid workers are likely a much larger source of social unrest. Most of those whom are stuck in poverty live in the sparesly populated western regions.
No disputing they have lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, just pointing out that if one subsists on more than $1.25 a day one is not considered in poverty by the world bank definition. So if 300 million still fall below that benchmark, how many of the rural folk live just above it and hence what does that say about the social health of China.
You forgot about the 1 billion reserve men, they (China) got in their army
We have 315 Million people with 18 million+ living below our poverty line. Now our poor folks would be a goal of half the worlds poor. But using our(US) definition the ratios of poor to total population we have about the same. Ours is rising faster due to unfethered illegal immigration from Mexico.
Robert, where are you getting the 18 million number? The US Census Bureau puts it 2.5 times higher.
US Congressional Record, 12 July 2010.
I've served 31 years in the Army, 8 in Central America and 14 in Pan-Islamic states from North Africa to the Pakistan. I've seen REAL poor people. Started a new business in 2008(doing very well) and have been in 42 states in the last two years. I've found no poor people in the USA.
150 million persons in the US live in "working poverty". However The Roman Empire, oops, excuse me, American Empire, that soldiers, tanks, fighter planes, etc, in more countries than any "nation" in all history, is quite different yes?
Or is it, that it want to force corporate poverty on an unwilling world.
Woodrow Wilson, Federal Reserve. Thats when America became an empire and its own people shifted toward total poverty.
Why does Canada spend 1/2 per person on medical versus the USA, yet has a 3 year higher lifespan? Could it be American medicine, is structured to take wealth from its the working class?
Yet America has been at war (no mater its working poor), since Woodrow Wilson and the Jewish Federal Reserve took power. Wake up "citizen's"
Long term China's military is more threatening to its own leadership then to outsiders. Its a matter of time before a civil war brings it all falling down on to itself.
As it has in the past.
As I understand it the central government as a whole there has pretty good relations with the military. Knowing their own history, I am sure they will do their best to maintain that.
That's a very two-dimensional view of it.
The core of Civil-Military interaction is the control question. China controls its forces through political penetration, in a very similar but not identical way to the Soviet Union. Relations are "good" because the Chinese government is generally intact and headed in one direction for the time being.
In the future? Who knows. The number of Chinese leaders who actually make truly sovereign decisions is less then twenty, and they're all quite old. Plus, there's millions of people in grinding poverty in rural China, who are going to get sick of poking dirt with a stick and hoping for an improving quality of life in the name of supporting urban China.
china is actually infusing a lot of money into those rural areas afaik in order to bring them more "up to speed" with the coastal areas.
True enough. Nevertheless, that's still hundreds of millions of people. The majority demographic of China will remain uneducated peasants for our lifetime. There's also the domestic issue of forced relocations and zoning.
Which goes to the people with influence in those area. Which creates "fun" contrasts with multi million dollar city halls while the general masses are still poking dirt in the background.
There's also a massive flow of young people moving to the urban area for work, becoming illegal immigrants in their own country while reducing the amount of available work force in the rural region.
each senior member has his own branch of disciples & the replacement always in place before their master's retirement so the ideology goes on, therefore China now has a kinda 'hybrid' form of communism
After reading some of the report and the commissions recommendations on defense the commission states that we need to get our butts in gear and start building weapons to neutralize the Chi-com build-up and improve our Pacific defenses.I think everyone that comes on this site has been saying the same thing for years–it's good to see someone official has finally recognized the situation for what it is.
Locheed is working on a stealthy supersonic replacement for Harpoon, so thats a step in the right direction.
This time don't use Chinese made flash drive they might copy it too.
I forgot to mention longe range too.
If China is going to be a problem along with North Korea and possibly Russia in the future we need to consolidate and combine tactical forces with Japan, S. Korea, Taiwan and NATO defenses. If there is a threat already we need to sell Taiwan what it needs for defenses so it can take care of itself in time of Chinese attack.
I don't think Russia is going to be a problem because they are sick of China stealing their technology and causing trouble in the area.Russia might join Nato and that would get the message to China real quick on where they stand.Consider the fact that a lot of S E Asia nations are trying to forge new ties w/the U S as a defense against Chinese aggressiveness.
Or better yet, sell Taiwan technology they can build for themself to avoid direct conflict with the Chinese. Taiwan already produce their own planes and boats. Just give or sell them technology they can use and need to defend themself against Chinese aggression or attack.
stealthy and supersonic don't go well together, as at that speed and close to the water (or at least semi-close) the object is hot as the sun on the IR
Taiwan is lost. Their investments in China are so high that the Chinese now own them. Their government is utterly ineffective. It's all over except for the shouting. We need to keep the Straights open to commerce, but that's about it now.
Don't forget South Korea, everyone seems to think that North Korea is an isolated single rogue nation, not so, China has always controlled the buttons in North Korea.
This just seems to me like an attempt to frighten people into more military spending, and theyre not even trying to disguise it. Just like in the cold war when you only had to say the word "russia" and people would jump.
Don't get me wrong, i'm in NO way against military spending, but surely they can do better than this?
Our military strength is a prerequisite to peace…
- Former U.S. President, Ronald Reagan
Eh, okay. I'm sure if I look hard enough I can find a similar quote from Eisenhower, JFK, Lyndon Johnson, Nixon, or even the oh-so-hated Obama.
Reagan put it best, and I would be damned surprised if Obama said that. Eisenhower seemed to believe almost solely in nukes at one point as well.
Here's how Obama would say it, "Our military weakness is a prerequisite to capitulation-opps I meant to say peace."
Reagan is also responsible for beginning the deficit spiral to match distorted Soviet military spending. It bankrupted the Soviets because they didn't have a Japan (the moneylender of the time) to fall back on.
And how would you have proposed we bring down the Soviet Union? Invade all of their satellite countries? Hope they would decide to stop taking countries over?
I see two wars and billions wasted due to our military strength. Where's the peace?
Do you really think the rest of the world will suddenly love us if we threw our weapons in the ocean and declared national pacifism? So far we have been attacked for no good reason……..
I think you mean 70 million out of poverty and 1.2 Billion in poverty ? anyway China has some major demographic , structural and political challenges ahead in the next twenty years that could easily derail its grand plan . That however should not distract from the fact that due to the clowns on Wall St , China is in a more powerful position than it should be .
The insidious Chinese and scum bag Putin are out to cause the US and the UK a whole bunch of problems over the next ten years . We have to balls it out like we did in the Cold War and if that means playing hardball so be it .
As we already know their defenses was bult not only for display.
China may become an economic superpower in the future, but in the meantime we're still lightyears ahead of them. America has stealth fighters, networked UAV's, and we're developing railguns, lasers and hypersonic missiles….and China is still operating the MiG-21 and some old Russian subs, with smaller numbers of modern equipment.
Between the U.S. and our asian allies, we can contain China for a good amount of time. By the time China does reach superpower status (I hear it's in 2050?) there will most definitely have been some sort of internal political change. Capitalism and modernization have led to liberal democratic societies in many nations, and I have no reason to see why it won't be the case with China in the long run.
I agree with you. Also the fact that the US has patrolled the world for a long time, know all the ins and outs, have bases all over the world, can stop and refuel in others (in addition to UNREPing) …etc, etc. Why are we deciding to make China a Boogyman anyway? Does America HAVE to have a boogyman in order to keep it's insane DOD budget? Why don't we have a Beer boogyman or a hard Liquor boogy,man? You know like Guiness is in an economic battle with Coor's or Glenfiddich is more popular than Jack Daniels. Much the same, RELAX.
The DoD budget is not insane by any measure. An insane amount of stupidity occurs, but the money that goes to procurement and modernization isn't all that high.
The Chinese efforts point to the fact that pouring hundreds of billions into tactical aircraft like the F22 and F35 is misguided. They aren't either going to have secure facilities to operate from close enough or carrier groups that can get in close enough to be effective. We need to have more reach and to be able to by pass the anti access efforts.
This only support the idea of such systems like
-The NGB
-Prompt strike from the VLS cells
-The X45/47 UCAV programs.
-SSGNs
-Conventional ICBMs
These systems will either give us the reach to be untouchable by current and projected Chinese capabilities, or in the case of the SSGNs, the ability to completely by pass their efforts. If we field systems like this the Chinese will know we hold their military and industrial coastal capacity at total risk with zero ability to counter us.
I agree on all points. We need modern strategic strike platforms.
Norwegian build and protect their submarines inside a mountain. It will be a good idea if Taiwan will do the same for thier subs, boats , planes, tanks , etc. to protect it against incoming chinese missiles.
Norwegians dont build submarines we buy them, mostly from the germans.
Taiwan does have two carved out mountain bases at Hualien and Taitung for the purpose of protecting up to 250 aircraft from Chinese attack. These aircraft fly directly out of tunnel runways leading out of the slope of the mountain.
watch out for the sleeping dragon…….They have a military agenda to someday take control of the pacific far east.They need its resources, like japan needed it 70 years ago.
I think they already begun their offensive without us knowing about it. And that is thru the hyjacking internet a few days ago and their hacking our military classified informations. Wait till next year and we will see another war in the pacific brewing by the chinese against Taiwan.
PRC doesn't need to use force to takeover taiwan, i think it's taiwan who want to go back to china as their economy will be based on mainland…. i think they'll seek some kind of semi democracy similar to hong kong/macau & to save face on both sides.
After Reading These Comments I have To Say Some Americans Need To Do Some Homework On Our Country In a Time Of War. Any Country In The World That Wants To Push Our Buttons And Test Our Waters Feel Free…Just Remember Any Country Can Lose a War And at the End of The Day America Will Prevail. Semper Fi And God Bless Our Armed Forces.
Defense cuts? What defense cuts???
Number 42 with beef and and boiled aircraft carriers please, and some singapore-fried fifth generation strike fighters.
No MSG please unless that stands for missile select guidance.
The Chinese are still Communists. No change in their overall ideology towards the West.
but don't forget, the american people are paying interest to chinese government from the US bonds they bought…… in the tune of how many billions a year??
And if this happens, it's more likely it will escalate and they (China) might use its Taiwan offensive plan against us (USA). This will make Tawain as our first line of direct defense against China.
I hope I did'nt make anybody pee. Its just my analysis. It may never happen.
Just being unrealistically practical here. Asian nations should foster better ties to the USA because of China's new prosperity and power. It might be time for Japan and Korea to drop their ball and chain from the American Tax payer and foster better relations with China!
The Chinese own a majority of the federal reserve debt…. There is not going to ever be a war with China. They own us—rather, they own the federal reserve [private bank]. I am not worried about China… I am more worried about the FED—and the people behind them.
that's right, when china foreclose their loans/bonds on usa, america will go bankrupt… priceless…..
If you look at the actual numbers, PRC owns 20.8 percent of the debt, and Japan 20.2, followed by UK at < 10%.
You're all incorrect. China holds about 900ish billion in US securities. The US defecit stands at about $14 trillion currently, so they hold about 6% of US debt in the form of securities.
The whole notion of China dumping US bonds is a simplistic doom scenario dreamed up by the nincompoops of economics. Were China to un load that debt it would force down the value of the dollar. US goods would become cheaper over seas and the ripple effect would be more likely to hurt China's ability to export goods than any real lasting damage to the US. In addition, for the same reason other nations in Europe and Japan and elsewhere would buy up US securities to inflate the value of the dollar versus their own currencies or they would quickly be forced out of the international markets.
The big threat if we don't get our economic house in order isn't that China dumps US bonds, it's that they stop buying them. We need to get spending under control.
What are the options for the US to seize Chinese bank accounts if there was even a small conflict or naval clash ?
The US seized Iraqi bank accounts and kept them , never paid them back and called it compensation , the US also seized Iranian bank accounts when the embassy was taken and only ever paid half of the money back , something like 20 billion .
If there is a tiny conflict China would find themselves losing most of the money they are owed , a US court would award astronomical amounts in damages and compensation .
they have done it every time before .
I will put a bet on a law suit against china in the next 10 years , in a US court ,over some Cyber Warfare hacking , with a US company being awarded a huge sum of money .
I don't see the huge debt as a strength for china but a major weakness .
Do you have any citations for that? The U.S. & Coalition froze Iraqi-held holdings (both official and otherwise) across the global system, but I've never heard of an actual bank seizure.
China's exports to the US (or anywhere else for that matter) are no longer the primary driver of Chinese economic growth. In fact, they're a fairly small factor nowadays.
The last time i was in Tiawan i seen many outdated anti aircraft guns mounted throughtout the country on small round houses that sprouted clothes lines with laundry and seen the gunners lounging around the guns. Not much of a deterrent.
Uh huh – did you see the PAC-3s, AH-1s, F-16s, Mirage 2000s, E-2s, JTIDS, Kidd, Perry, Lafayette, Hai Lung SSKs?
Why do you judge just based off of your eyesight alone? That's like me saying that America has no military force because I've only ever once seen a C-130 with my own eyes.
Our asian allies need nuclear weapons of their own. That is the only effective deterrent in their situation, other than praying, in my opinion.
Ill tell you' we may be owned by 4 foot asians but AMERICA whooped ass before and we could do it again at the time of WWII, America had just came out of the depression, and by our fighting spirit and ignorant pride more like Ultra Nationalism, which is good, we kicked their fanny's. we beat the japs so hard they resulted in suicide bombing their airplanes into our carriers, Pearl Harbor,Midway, Iwo Jima, The Philippines? We are The Perfect Destroyer, The Lean Green Fighting Machine !! Ho Ah !
True that, but five years later China hit us with a surprise attack in Korea followed by three years of fighting causing the US to fail to occupy North Korea or install a friendly regime in Pyongyang. And all of that even though we had air and naval superiority. I hope nowdays our government and military deal with China VERY skillfully!
Just on cue, the Pentagon propaganda machine kicks into gear pushing new threats to justify ever bigger budgets. This is how military.com employees earn their pay.
Seeing a massive conspiracy where none exists? The budget doesn't need more threats to justify it, it is justified as it is now.
Uh, the world seems to see us as a competitor; slack off on our military spending and preparedness, and the world will jump and own us…..
Why do you think we are lobbying the Indians AND Russians so much. We are clearly worried. but the logistics behind fighting a war across the pacific is mind blowing. So if and when the Chinese go on the march we need tanks (russia) and boots(India) on the ground while we supply the air power and naval containment. If they are worried about the Chinese like we are and from most reports I've seen they are. Then we will be able to counter balance the Chinese. If we cant work with these two we are f***ed.
only idiots and warmongers would play these back and forth games of who will kick who's arse. China owns most of our long term debt. we are their biggest and most valuable customer. unlike the cold war, our two nations prosperity, whether we like it or not, are locked together in almost every way. They make our iphones. We sell them food. any fight between the two will result in catastrophe for everyone. defending taiwan is a joke that is not worth one american life. let them figure it out, and let us find a way to work together. the rest is a video game for children.
China holds about 900ish billion in US securities. The US defecit stands at about $14 trillion currently, so they hold about 6% of US debt in the form of securities.
I don't think China will punish North Korea. They were long time ally. They may already have plans we still don't know about and may surprise us in the near future. They are already prepared for WWIII. And I pray that will never come.
US taxpayers funding at its finest! Why not have a war, redefine financing, redraw all borders, to our advantages, and nationalize everything – Ya Know – Start the game all over – AGAIN!
Ah yes, America's consumer dollars at work! Who would ever imagine that America's capitalists would become so blinded by greed they would validate Lenin, "…so greedy they will sell us the rope with which to hang them."
Everyone I think overestimates China. They try to clone evryones work, and spend a tenth of what the U.S. does on defense. We own them in every catagory except their recent fatser super computer, which we’ll win again. I think Iran or possibly a third world country ismore thier speed.
This isn’t the cold war, and China doesn’t exist in a separate soviet-like bloc – China is fully integrated into the global economy and has fully embraced capitalism, of a kind.
The Chinese don’t want a war with the US, they want to trade. American cold war rhetoric seems only to fulfill a need to have a reassuringly distinct enemy at a time when the real threats are much more intangible.
China won’t fight the US for Taiwan, but will happily watch America pursue a ruinous arms-race resulting in a decline of its military power and influence in east asia.
Uh, and the Chinese aren't having an arms race of their own? Last I checked we were funding their navy…..
Will you foot the bill?
Quite so, in case nobody noticed. The NASA research for a scram jet engine has quite shifted for Darpa. Mach 10 was achieved over 5 years ago, with hydrogen fuel. This work has been dropped.
Now all Scram research work pursues a JP4 (kerosene) SLOWER fuel scram jet of Mach 5 or 6 ability. But with a a fuel that easy for military use.
It's much more important, if you want a massive fleet of very threatening ship to shore, long range tactical cruise type missiles.
Space exploration is not too interesting for the USA Federal Reserve.
World power to back up the Federal Reserve paper debt notes "currency" is much more interesting to the "Fed".
When you folks realize that the "Fed" aka Federal Reserve is the basis of all USA policy both foreign and domestic, then you can see the world as it is. Not as you've been conned into seeing it.
Social Security in the USA is going to be gutted very shortly. The Empire has made a choice. More Federal Reserve wars,and raid whats left Americans retirement to pay for it.
Hehe… what a scenario.
China (the red one), will simply use cargo ships to move about 10 million soldiers to Taiwan. If anyone harms those ships, they will bear China's wrath.
The American president, whoever sh/she is at the time, Will telephone the China president to complain and threaten to stop buying Chinese stuff. The China president will answer back, "we have customers all over the world. Europe, Russia, India, Africa, Middle East, South America and Central America, Japan, and Australia.
If you "Americans" don't shut up and get out of the way, we (china) will cut off sales to you. Anyway, your currency is junk. Try living without semiconductors. And thank you for your capitalist kings, for putting your semiconductor plants here mainland China and in our province of Taiwan"
Communism isn't fascism. Tito didn't go out shooting Christians, and the shooting of minorities happened after the fragmentation of Yugoslavia.
No, the Chicoms finished shooting them all at Tinamen Square. They prefer to take you to prison and do you in there…..
I will have a look for some , I watched a couple of documentaries , i think on the BBC.
here is one bit http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2872585.stm I think in the end it was in the 10s of billions since 91 .
with Iran they gave back 50 tons of gold and kept another 50 .
The point I was trying to make is that any country that goes to war with America and has billions either in bank accounts or owed in debt can kiss goodbye to it .
I'm sorry, Robert. Selective blindness is a hard condition to live with. But hey, come visit Appalachia, I'll be happy to show you a few.
Poorness is relative; yes, we have "poor" people who have it bad compared to the rest of us; yet, compared to the rest of the world, our poor are relatively well off…..I think that is what Robert is referring to…..