Editor's Foreword

Chapter Eight
East Asia and Australasia
CHINA
China’s armed forces showcased the progress of their
accelerating modernisation drive at the ��th anniversary
celebrations of their air force and navy, and of
the People’s Republic itself. Through a series of carefully
scripted parades and large-scale exercises, the
People’s Liberation Army (PLA) sent notice that it
was generating a comprehensive set of state-of-theart
capabilities that would enable the projection of its
military power onto the global stage.
At the � October parade in Beijing, the air force, navy
and Second Artillery (China’s strategic missile forces)
were given increased prominence, which signalled a
shift away from the previous ground-force-oriented,
continental mindset. Prominently featured weapons
included the latest variants of the DF-��C mediumrange
ballistic missile, the DF-��A intercontinental
ballistic missile, the DH-�� (CJ-��) land-a�ack cruise
missile, the J-�� fighter, the H-�U air-refuelling tanker,
and electronic-warfare platforms such as the KJ-����
Airborne Warning and Control aircraft. Most of these
systems are the locally designed products of a more
modern and capable Chinese defence industry that is
enjoying surging domestic demand.
A key theme of these military displays, also underlined
in the latest defence White Paper published at
the end of ����, was the growing confidence of the
PLA. While li�le new information was disclosed, the
White Paper pointed out that China has reached a
‘historic turning point’ and that it was playing a major
role in the international security order.
Although the units that took part in the National
Day parade were mostly drawn from elite formations,
recapitalisation of the wider front-line inventory has
been gathering pace in recent years. According to
estimates from the US Department of Defense (DoD),
��% of Chinese naval surface forces in ���� could
be categorised as modern (defined as multi-mission
platforms with significant capabilities in at least two
warfare areas) compared with �% in ����; ��% of the
submarine fleet in ���� was modern (capable of firing
anti-ship cruise missiles) in contrast to less than ��%
in ����; and ��% of the air force had modern fourthgeneration
combat aircraft in ����, double the ratio
in ����. China’s ground forces, by comparison, have
lagged far behind, with the DoD estimating that only
��� main ba�le tanks (MBTs) out of a DoD-reported
inventory of �,��� were modern third-generation
Type-�� and -�� models; more emphasis has been
placed on the acquisition of armoured infantry vehicles
and the building up of special forces. While older
generations of ����s- and ����s-era MBTs are being
phased out, later models are undergoing limited
upgrading.
In April, the PLA Navy (PLAN) held a fleet review
in Qingdao for its ��th anniversary celebrations,
displaying some of its latest warships and submarines,
such as the Type-���C Luyang II-class DDG, Type-
���C Luzhou-class DDG and Type-���A Jiangkai-class
frigates. The Chinese surface force is currently estimated
by the DoD to have around �� major surface
combatants. Additionally, there are approximately ��
coastal missile-patrol craft and �� medium and heavy
amphibious-lift vessels, which have been increasing in
size in recent years. The submarine fleet is also undergoing
rapid expansion, with five types of nuclear
and conventional submarines under procurement,
including the Jin-class SSBN, Shang-class SSN, and
Improved Song, Yuan and Russian Kilo SS. Moreover,
growing official public discussion of the acquisition
of an aircraft-carrier force appears to be paving the
way for a programme go-ahead in the near future.
Senior Chinese navy officials have said that the local
shipbuilding industry is actively conducting research
into aircraft-carrier construction and could be ready
to build a vessel by the end of this decade; refurbishment
of the former Ukrainian aircraft carrier Varyag is
also a much-discussed option.
Personnel and training
With the PLA inventory becoming increasingly hightech,
greater a�ention is being paid to the personnel
that will have to operate these systems. Military
authorities, aware that staff will have to be welltrained
professionals, are reforming the personnel
system. An important priority is the overhaul of the
non-commissioned officer (NCO) corps, with new
entrants requiring at least high-school diplomas, and
more effort is being made to retain senior personnel
East Asia and
Australasia