Your so called point is totally out of place because this is not a thread about India (which Musashi points out) and second, India is a status quo power and poses no expansionist threat to the PRC. India has no allied requirements to defend Japan or Taiwan or the like, either (which also brings up the point why would the US intervene unless these nations were threatened). If you attempt to make a point, make them using the correct examples.

In the PRC – India case, it is the PRC investment in military infrastructure which is forcing India to react. Whether it be raising new divisions in the north-east, or modernizing new AFB or even focusing on its Navy. Its rather ironic. The PRC is the one leading the arms race, and then you turn around & claim that because India is spending, its all ok.

Its rather funny to use India as an example to justify the PRCs spending when it is the PRC’s spending which is making India react in modernizing its military when it would rather spend on social needs, which also have a direct political benefit. Google up NREGA.

I’m not accusing India of starting an arms race or challenging why India needs to spend on its military, calm down.

Whether a country is “expansionist” or not is irrelevant to the topic of how much you spend on your military in this case, because musashi laid out the subjects I listed above as reasons why China shouldn’t be spending “so much” on the PLA.
My point is that those reasons are ridiculous and every country can spend as it sees fit.

What # India? India is spending because China is. If China were to scale back its investments in defence, India would gladly do likewise, especially in the north east of the country.

And if the US removed its forces from westpac, china would gladly oblige too… etc etc.

My point was that India isn’t exactly better of than china in gdp per capita, education, health etc. Musashi was using that as a reason for why china shouldn’t be spending “so much” on a modern defence force therefore the same logic should be applied to India.

I think it will be quite some time befor China uses a CV to project power anywhere. Right now, they are running sea trials with the ship, basically just seeing how the sip itself operates. How long this will take I couldnt say. Once those are complete, they will begin the first real “experimental” phase of operations, having guys fly on and off it. This will take some time, a year? Two? Three? Again, I couldnt say. In the mean time, the PLAN will be figuring out just how they want to operate her and any others they may aquire. All in all, it is an exciting time for the PLAN, but I dont think the west should get hysterical just yet.

I don’t think anyone is but it seems that a few posters believe that there are no threats to China, therefore any semblance of having a modern military let alone an aircraft carrier, is unacceptable.

I was replying to tphuang’s bizarre response to my point that there’s no transparency over the PLAN aircraft project and it’s therefore not possible to claim it’s value for money and/or cheaper than what other countries are doing.

I’m not sure he was claiming that in so many words but it’s well known the PLAN (and PLA in general) are still relatively cheap.

tphuang claimed that China was “rich enough” to support carrier groups without affecting the economy. That’s not exactly a high standard. If you rob Peter to pay Paul you can afford lots of things.

Also for your information, you don’t have to be first world to have a decent minimum wage or social security. Arguably China can’t become a first world country until it has things like good, free education, pensions, etc. But that’s for a different discussion.

Well China’s economy is strong enough to have build and support a couple of cvbgs while keeping good growth. No one said that was a high standard but compared to before, China finally has the money to back what it needs.

It was certainly strong enough to defend itself.

A few flankers, a weak cold war era navy with destroyers the tonnage of light frigates, obsolete tanks, a fragile IADS…
Strong enough is a matter of opinion I suppose

Yeah, and it’s because of China’s military buildup that the US is concerned about it. The US isn’t planning to annex Hainan Island or sweep into Manchuria via North Korea. The concern is completely focused on China potentially being aggressive in the future. If China isn’t aiming to be aggressive then it poses no threat to the US and accordingly has nothing to fear from America.

That’s betting china’s national security on american good will.

that’s official:
– 4 RVV-SD in central bays (2 per bay)
– fast bays only can hold one RVV-MD per bay
– RVV-BD can be carried in central bays, number is unclear (4 fits)

Only 4 MRAAMs for the T-50? That seems a bit low 🙁

Great photo… Is there any bigger version??
Hope its not a photoshop…:p

Unfortunately not — for some reason imageshack decided to shrink the photo a bit when I uploaded it. But there are bigger pictures over a CDF, if you care to make an account.

Anyway, here’s a lotta J-10s.

And yet it still can’t find the money for a national healthcare system, universal benefits, pensions, build and fund decent schools, sort out the water shortages, have a decent minimum wage, etc. For some reason China needs an ever bigger military budget, more ships, submarines, fighters, etc. This is despite the fact that none of its neighbours are ever likely to attack it unless China attacks first.

Funny that.

Not wanting to get into a massive comparison…
But # India

If you’re suggesting every country must be first world before they are allowed to increase military spending… well either the world will be a much more peaceful place or much violent.
Besides you make it sound like the PLA was oh so mighty before the 2000s. Yes they do now have a “bigger” military budget, “more” ships, subs, fighters etc but that’s because it’s past forces were ridiculously weak
And remember the fact the US labelled China as its potential number one foe for the forseeable future. If that , combined with almost a complete military equipped with obsolete equipment, doesn’t warrant a massive military modernization, if not outright build up, then I don’t know what does.