With around two million soldiers, China has the largest army in the world. By comparison, the United States has around 1.3 million soldiers. Although China is among the five official nuclear powers, its army is not the most modern.
The expert of the German media NDR Stefan Niemann sees various reasons for this. For a long time, the country focused on numbers, while at the same time underestimating its actions in other parts of the world, he said, quoted by ARD.
Armament in peacetime
But since the 1990s, the Chinese have been catching up significantly in the field of armaments. And with unusual speed for a country that has not been involved in any major wars during this period, says Sarah Kirchberger. She is an expert on the strategic development of the Asia-Pacific region at the University of Kiel. Normally, building a modern air force or navy is a project that takes several generations - unless a country is at war, she explains.
To give such a priority in peacetime is very unusual, says Kirchberger: "When a country, like Ukraine is now, is fighting for its survival, it naturally mobilizes all possible forces that are not available in peacetime. Then huge amounts of money are invested. But what China has achieved in peacetime, and in fact in just two and a half decades, is extremely unusual," she says. China has not only caught up, but in some areas it has even developed innovations that other countries do not have, Kirchberger claims.
Electromagnetic catapults
One of the most interesting developments is China's aircraft carriers. These ships are among the most complex and expensive military installations. In the event of war, they can be crucial. The United States has been building aircraft carriers for its army for 100 years, and currently has eleven. Russia has only one aircraft carrier, which is not in operational mode. China began arming its army with aircraft carriers only 15 years ago. Currently, three of them have been completed, and another is believed to be under construction.
A central element for aircraft carriers is the runway. Some of them are equipped with steam catapults, which allow aircraft to take off faster. The latest technology, however, uses electromagnetic catapults. This requires huge amounts of electricity, which is provided by a nuclear-powered ship, says Sarah Kirchberger. China has already managed to develop such an electromagnetic catapult system - at the same time as the United States, the ARD publication says.
A new military site raises many questions
A complex of octagonal buildings erected in the heart of the Chinese desert: this new site was reported by the “Reuters“ agency, which discovered the facility on satellite images and has since provided it for analysis by experts. According to them, it is located near the silos where China stores its longest-range nuclear missiles. The complex is believed to cover several thousand square kilometers.
According to experts, the new facility could represent a modern missile defense system. Satellite images show an extensive network of launch pads, bunkers and communication hubs. In addition, more than 80 sites for mobile missile launchers and air defense batteries are visible.
In competition with the United States
By the 100th anniversary of the People's Republic of China (in 2049), the armed forces should reach “world class“. Such are Beijing's plans. According to Stefan Niemann, this goal is fully achievable: “I would say that China is already a military superpower that is trying to displace the United States from the leading position“.
China claims that it is arming itself to be able to defend itself. Expert Kirchberger does not find this plausible: "It would be naive to assume, especially against the backdrop of the rhetoric and close relations with Russia, which is waging war against a neighboring country, that it would only be a question of pure self-defense in an absolutely improbable case of an invasion by enemy forces on Chinese territory."
Above all, China's claims to Taiwan are causing concern among international observers. China considers the democratically governed island to be part of its territory and wants to annex it - for now, without using military force, the ARD publication also says.
Author: Helene Buchholz ARD