China says it's military might is similar to the West's

China’s defence minister says their military now has most of the sophisticated weapon systems found in the arsenals of Western nations.

Many of those systems match or are close to matching the capabilities of their counterparts in the West, Liang Guanglie Minister of National Defense said in a rare interview posted on the ministry’s website. [Chinese J-10 fighter jet]  “This is a remarkable achievement which not only reflects the level of modernisation of our army, but also tremendous changes in national science and technology 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. On October 1, in celebration of the nation’s 60th anniversary, China will hold it’s biggest military parade in a decade in Beijing which will show much of the advanced weaponry.   Liang stressed that “absolute control under the Communist Party of China (CPC) has guaranteed the country’s armed forces have achieved landmark progress in the past six decades,” says the website. In a 2009 report, the Pentagon ranked Chinese defense technology below that of the United States, but noted that China’s armed forces “have improved their capacity to carry out operations away from its shores and deny other militaries access to its airspace and seas off its coast”, reports Associated Press.   China has the world’s largest standing military. The People’s Liberation Army now has 2.3 million members. Liang said the military’s goal is to achieve complete mechanization and computerization by 2020 and produce a fully modern force before mid-century.   He made no mention of an aircraft carrier or other weapons systems that China is believed to be pursuing reports Associated Press. The celebration on Oct. 1 in Tienanmen Square is expected to be massive with a mass pageant following the military parade that will involve about 200,000 citizens and 60 floats, on the theme of the “Motherland and I Marching Together”, says the website.   bron: www.digitaljournal.com , news.thomasnet.com