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Beijing: China's military now possesses most of the sophisticated weapon systems found in the arsenals of developed Western nations, the country's Defense Minister said in comments published on Monday. Many of those systems match or are close to matching the capabilities of their counterparts in the West, Liang Guanglie said in a rare interview posted on the ministry's Web site.
"This is an extraordinary achievement that speaks to the level of our military's modernisation and the huge change in our country's technological strength," Liang said. Liang cited the J-10 fighter jet, latest-generation tanks, Navy destroyers, and cruise and intercontinental ballistic missiles as among the Chinese defence industry's biggest achievements.
The military's goal is to achieve complete mechanisation and computerisation by 2020 and produce a fully modern force before mid-century, Liang said. The minister's remarks come ahead of China's biggest military parade in a decade scheduled for October 1 National Day in Beijing. That event will showcase much of the country's most advanced equipment, the fruit of China's booming economy and nearly two decades of annual double digit percentage increases in the defense budget.
Liang said he believed the parade would "display the image of a mighty force, a civilised force, a victorious force." The 2.3 million-member People's Liberation Army is the world's largest standing military and its modernisation has been accompanied by gradual steps toward greater engagement with the outside world. Liang said China has contributed 13,000 troops to UN peace keeping operations along with three Navy flotillas to join in anti-piracy patrols of the coast of Somalia. Despite such moves, however, the PLA remains largely a closed shop and military ties with the United States and other nations are often hobbled by disputes over Taiwan and other political issues.
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"This is an extraordinary achievement that speaks to the level of our military's modernisation and the huge change in our country's technological strength," Liang said. Liang cited the J-10 fighter jet, latest-generation tanks, Navy destroyers, and cruise and intercontinental ballistic missiles as among the Chinese defence industry's biggest achievements.
The military's goal is to achieve complete mechanisation and computerisation by 2020 and produce a fully modern force before mid-century, Liang said. The minister's remarks come ahead of China's biggest military parade in a decade scheduled for October 1 National Day in Beijing. That event will showcase much of the country's most advanced equipment, the fruit of China's booming economy and nearly two decades of annual double digit percentage increases in the defense budget.
Liang said he believed the parade would "display the image of a mighty force, a civilised force, a victorious force." The 2.3 million-member People's Liberation Army is the world's largest standing military and its modernisation has been accompanied by gradual steps toward greater engagement with the outside world. Liang said China has contributed 13,000 troops to UN peace keeping operations along with three Navy flotillas to join in anti-piracy patrols of the coast of Somalia. Despite such moves, however, the PLA remains largely a closed shop and military ties with the United States and other nations are often hobbled by disputes over Taiwan and other political issues.
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