S.Korea Steps Up Defense Buildup as China's Military Power Grows
The Chinese Academy of Sciences projected in 2008 that China will be able to match the U.S. in terms of military power after 2050 at the earliest, while it will take a further 20 or 30 years to finally catch up -- making it difficult for China to overtake the U.S. in this area within this century.
But some experts say Beijing is being excessively humble in making such projections, as the country has made strides in recent years in boosting its naval, air, space and missile capabilities. China's first aircraft carrier, the remodeled 67,000-ton Varyag, which was purchased from Ukraine back in 1998, went on its test voyage last year. The country is also expected to launch its first homegrown aircraft carrier around 2015.
The world caught a glimpse of China's naval ambitions through the so-called "island chain" strategy revealed by Navy Commander Liu Huaqing during the 1980s. China's maritime defense boundaries are formed by a primary island chain composed of Okinawa, Taiwan and the South China Sea, and a secondary island chain made up of Saipan, Guam and Indonesia.
Liu said at that time, "We will establish control of the primary island chain by 2010 and the second one by 2020, while resisting U.S. domination of the Pacific and Indian oceans by 2040."
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Originally Posted by Ray 
