China: During the celebrations of the Army Day on August 1, 2018, the Chinese military released a video in an apparent move to send out a message to its adversaries. The 2:20-minute long video shows Chinese soldiers leaving for war with their families giving them a tearful sendoff.
China latest and most lethal weapons including nuclear missiles, fighter jets, tanks and an aircraft carrier group have been featured in the video. China’s defence forces are divided into the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy), People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), Rocket Force, Strategic Support Force, and is led by President Xi Jinping, who is also the Chairman of the Central Military Commission.
Its defence force is the world’s largest military, and in recent years has been on an overdrive to modernise.
China’s 2018 military budget is $215 billion and there are almost 23 lakh active personnel in its defence forces. Its army has 9,150 tanks, 4,788 armoured fighting vehicles (AFV), 9,726 artillery, 1,710 self-propelled guns and 1,770 rocket artillery.
The People’s Liberation Army Air Force operates 3,729 aircraft including 1,199 fighters, 567 planes which can have multirole, 300 attack jets and 1,627 helicopters.
The PLA Navy has 749 vessels including one aircraft carrier, 32 destroyers, 51 frigates, 32 corvettes and 73 submarines of which 20 are nuclear powered. China also possesses a vast array of missiles including nuclear-tipped ones capable of hitting targets well over 10,000 kilometres away. It is also developing hypersonic rockets and planes.
China celebrates Army Day on August 1 as the People’s Liberation Army was formed on August 1, 1927, although it was then called the workers and peasants revolutionary army. The force got its current name People’s Liberation Army in 1946.
China has land border disputes with several of its neighbours including India, Russia, Vietnam and Bhutam. It is also involved in maritime border disputes with Japan, South Korea, Philippines and Vietnam.
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