A version of this story appeared in the daily Threat Status newsletter from The Washington Times. Click here to receive Threat Status delivered directly to your inbox each weekday.
China’s economic problems have slowed Beijing’s major military buildup, although the difficulties have led to minor cutbacks in some armaments, according to a knowledgeable military source.
The overall buildup of missiles, warships, aircraft and nuclear forces is continuing apace. But Beijing’s mounting economic problems have forced the People’s Liberation Army to begin economizing on what some military leaders have called the largest military modernization of any nation since World War II.
Much of the buildup is focused on restructuring the Chinese military from a large, land-oriented armed force into a high-tech, sea power-dominated force.
Investment in the Chinese military now emphasizes producing advanced aircraft with air-launched missiles; large, diverse and sophisticated missile forces; expanded naval forces; and, increasingly, sophisticated space warfare capabilities.
“That’s what we’ve seen, and we’ve seen this over years and years,” the source said.
SEE ALSO: Taiwanese military report says China lacks full invasion force
The slight decrease has been seen in China’s reduction in the number of weapons systems and number of naval vessels and aircraft being produced. The military is still working to build fifth-generation warplanes and developing air, missile, maritime and space forces.
The rate of the buildup was described as “logarithmic, versus linear” yet still increasing.
China’s economic growth has declined significantly under President Xi Jinping, who has sought to rein in nonstate-controlled business that produced the world’s second-largest economy. Government figures from July showed economic growth slowed to 4.75%, down from 7% to 8% in the 2010s.
China’s problems are blamed on an unbalanced economic model of the past 30 years overly reliant on general investment and housing investment in particular. Nearly half of China’s gross domestic product is based on investment, about double that of other advanced economies. China is also dealing with a real estate crisis, with an estimated 65 million unoccupied housing units, according to American Enterprise Institute expert Desmond Lachman.
China this week announced the launch of a major stimulus program aimed at pulling the economy out its woes.
While there has been some decline in conventional arms, China’s upgrading and modernizing its nuclear forces remain among the most alarming features of the military buildup.
Air Force Gen. Anthony Cotton, commander of the Strategic Command, told Congress earlier this year that China is developing a new generation of mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles, in addition to several types of silo-based and mobile missiles already deployed.
The deployment of land-, sea- and air-based nuclear weapons was described by Gen. Cotton as a nuclear “breakout” — the shift from few nuclear arms to thousands.
“The breakout that we saw and the advancements and how quickly the advancements that we’re seeing in China to rapidly create a viable triad is breathtaking,” he said. A triad is the combination of land-based and sea-based missiles and strategic bombers.
• Bill Gertz can be reached at bgertz@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.