China to boost military spending

[headache]

Is China's military a threat to anyone but themselves?
How modern is it?

China to boost military spending]

China says it will increase military spending by a "modest" 14.9% this year to 480.6bn yuan ($70.2bn; £50bn).

The money will pay for better salaries, modernisation, and "capacity building programmes" including counter-terrorism and disaster relief, a spokesman said.

China's military is for self-protection and does not pose a threat to any country, said official Li Zhaoxing.

Analysts say defence spending is higher than the official figure, but Beijing says there are no hidden outlays.

"There is no such thing as so-called hidden military expenditure in China," said Mr Li at a news conference in Beijing.

...
They also say that China's military budget is still about eight times smaller than the military budget of the US, our correspondent adds.

The US military budget for 2009 has been pegged at $515bn, a 7.5% increase from 2008. That figure does not include billions of dollars for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Any thoughts?

[m52nickerson]

China army is pretty modern, but most likely not any were up to the standards of the US, Brittan......ect. I don't think it means anything.

[Sandafluffoid]

Meh, China is going the way of the USSR, it's just petering out as a result of its own economic system. Give it about 50 years andI'd reckon it'll be free of communist rule completely. Frankly China has too many internal problems to worry about threatening anyone, paticularly with their big guns=peace attitude to public disquiet.

[Pookie]

I think I feel more threatened by my own countrymen than I do by China, with or without an increase in military spending. Thus far the Chinese haven't tried to deny us Americans any of our human rights, and the scariest thing I've seen them do in the past few years is put lead paint into children's toys.

[stormwarden]

Though I don't like how they treat dissidents, China isn't too high on the list of threats. They have a large population, but not much else. I am wondering if that sort of authoritarianism doesn't have a rubber-band effect where after a certain amount of time elapses, it rebounds against those in power.

[MaybeNever]

I voted for Rapture, because it's about as plausible as a genuine Chinese threat. What are they going to do, invade Russia? Yeah, that's worked out real well before.

[headache]

Wow, great comments.

I personally think we are or have seen the last of the great expansion wars of the last centuries. Even though we may not like the political system of China, I pretty sure that even Chinese leaders realize that any military expeditions will not benefit China, much less it's people or their own wallets.

But make no mistake, the Chinese invasion started a long time ago! It's coming in the form of export of Chinese citizens. Look to Africa and to South American and you'll see a Chinese presence never seen there before and one that is steadily increasing. China may even be the engine that will get Africa out of poverty.

[Caitshidhe]

Honestly? I think China's not a threat to the US or the UK or Canada or anybody else. They're so busy trying to control their OWN population and keep them from thinking too much, which is absolutely massive and covers an enormous area, that even if they DID have the most powerful military in the world, they'd be using it on THAT rather than on conquering the planet and spreading Communism, or whatever it is the fearmongers are saying they're gonna try to do.

Just my two cents on the matter.

[JonathanE]

I think that China could pose a threat. Chinese planning is always long-term, internationally. The initial target, post-Tibet, is Taiwan. There are often mounting pressures, with China testing to see Western response. The Sino-Russian confilct still simmers in the background, though.
Is China a threat to the West. Not currently, but with the combination of Western (U.S.) debt and expanding their military, along with an expanding economy, China could pose a threat in the future. Their style is unapologetic and the Western democracies should view them as a possible future threat, due to the above mentioned factors.
I'm not paranoid, mind you, just realistic. With growing economic clout, endebtedness of the Western democracies and military expansion/growth, China should be watched carefully. Not all threats are primarily military, and Chinese diplomacy seldom uses military threats as the sole method of forwarding her international policies.

[Sandafluffoid]

Mar 4, 2009 15:40:31 GMT -5 JonathanE said:

I think that China could pose a threat. Chinese planning is always long-term, internationally. The initial target, post-Tibet, is Taiwan. There are often mounting pressures, with China testing to see Western response. The Sino-Russian confilct still simmers in the background, though.
Is China a threat to the West. Not currently, but with the combination of Western (U.S.) debt and expanding their military, along with an expanding economy, China could pose a threat in the future. Their style is unapologetic and the Western democracies should view them as a possible future threat, due to the above mentioned factors.
I'm not paranoid, mind you, just realistic. With growing economic clout, endebtedness of the Western democracies and military expansion/growth, China should be watched carefully. Not all threats are primarily military, and Chinese diplomacy seldom uses military threats as the sole method of forwarding her international policies.

Taiwan has got bored of the sino-taiwanese problem. THe majority of taiwanese don't want to eb china anymore, they want to get on with being Taiwan and I understand that the majority of the Chinese public have a similar outlook, its just the Chinese government who still feel obligated to throw a hissy fit over Taiwan being a seperate country. Thankfully support for the Chinese government is lessening aroudn the world and in China itself.

[skyfire]

Main thing about the Chinese military is that they lack a proper supply chain; this limits their ability to extend their reach beyond their immediate borders unless they make a direct effort.

If the money is going to things like relief training / gear and higher pay / benefits, then there's ultimately no issue. But if they're pumping money into logistics we might have ourselves a problem soon.

[schizophonic]

China's just doing it so they can repossess America. They know we're not going to pay off our debt willingly....

[skyfire]

Mar 4, 2009 19:54:00 GMT -5 @schizophonic said:

China's just doing it so they can repossess America. They know we're not going to pay off our debt willingly....

...which is why I cringe every time I hear about Hillary going over to China in order to beg them to buy more government debt.

[vojnik]

Is China's military a threat to anyone but themselves?

I believe it is one of the strongest Armies in Asia. I don't believe that China could ever do anything like invade the U.S., but the U.S. cannot invade China.

Meh, China is going the way of the USSR, it's just petering out as a result of its own economic system.

I'd say that's actually an accurate description of the United States.

I pretty sure that even Chinese leaders realize that any military expeditions will not benefit China, much less it's people or their own wallets.

Bingo. China knows that getting into various quagmires will only wear down its prestige at home and abroad.

THe majority of taiwanese don't want to eb china anymore,

The links between China and Taiwan are solidifying. I believe that reunification will happen in about 10-20 years.

[JonathanE]

Mar 4, 2009 19:59:22 GMT -5 skyfire said:

Mar 4, 2009 19:54:00 GMT -5 @schizophonic said:

China's just doing it so they can repossess America. They know we're not going to pay off our debt willingly....

...which is why I cringe every time I hear about Hillary going over to China in order to beg them to buy more government debt.

Sky, has Ms. Clinton even been to China yet? It seems to me that the "China" debt has been passed on to us by the previous administration. I'm not trying to pick a fight here, just calling you on your bullshit.
The previous administration racked up HUGE debts to the Chinese, for eight years. Lay off Clinton for a bit, please. This whole "Hilary begging the Chinese" smells of Republican spin and hatred of anything Clinton, ala Rush. Republican credibility is gone. Accept that, and life will be easier for you.

Please, everyone, carry on with the previous rational discussion.