US China defence power – One well established years after Cold War and other is the rising power preparing to reclaim regional hegemony.The two superpowers of the world USA & China at present are preparing for a military showdown.
Though they don’t have the intrinsic hostility of West and Soviet Union in the past, because of their economic interdependency but are on the verge of war anytime, in order to prove their supremacy. With growing power and strength China is the second most powerful country of the world after USA, as a result the age-old supremacy is being challenged by the rising superpower. In order to know the strength of a nation, we need to know the defense power of the country.
Here, in this article we would compare US China defence power.
US China defence power
Beijing and Washington have disagreements over the matters of global governance, with USA slapping huge tariff on Chinese goods import and China imposing heavy taxes on American goods as a retaliation- a kind of trade war has already been ignited.
In matter of defense both the nations have their own bunch of strengths and weaknesses, but if any war is waged, it would not be an easy win for either of the nations.
China has the largest military force on the earth, with over two million active personnel in People’s Liberation Army (PLA) compared to USA’s army. USA spends almost $647,000,000,000 in maintaining its defense and China spends around $151,000,000,000 in maintaining its security.
PLA ground and air forces exhibit wide range of quality in cold war systems and front-line variant. PLA has 8000 tanks but 3000 of them are from 1950s Type 59 and 63 tanks. 500 Type-99 tanks are similar approximate to very reliable US M1 Abrams.
The PLA air force also has a similar story, out of 1700 aircrafts third generation are J-7 fighter aircrafts. Another portion includes fourth generation J-10s and J-11s compared to US F-15s and F-16s and a few fifth-generation stealth fighters.
The US military operates over two thousand fourth-generation combat jets, rapidly supplemented by stealth designs. The recent wing of US aircrafts theoretically enjoys a massive edge in long range aerial combat in penetrating the enemy airspace. The massive military expenditure by the American government reflects its technical approach in bolstering the defensive strength of the nation. It emphasizes in sending drone or guided missiles instead of man/woman, as a friendly casualty may result into political firestorm.
China also eagerly adopted this recent doctrine of sending drones instead of soldier and made strides in developing armed drones and advancing networking capabilities. PLA and US military have different requirements operationally, but when it is the question of defense, both are strong enough to retaliate with bang.
USA is geographically isolated from its foe and depends on the massive networks of overseas base to control its engagements. So, it has to maintain hundreds of transport planes, aerial refueling tankers, and carriers to maintain its marine units and the bases. On the other hand, China with its world’s largest army and powers spreading like roots gradually in the neighboring areas holds it in the upfront.
This is US China defence power – War is the last thing any generation would wish for, but if the situations worsen then it is the only way out. When the largest army would meet the advanced superpower, the result is the rise of another superpower. Both the US military and PLA of China has the capability of give a tough fight to each other. This time if the superpower showdown takes place, then it would be more devastating than the last two world wars as technology has strengthened both the nations with enormous power and strength.