Preview

India vs China on Military Strength - Conventional and Nuclear

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
786 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
India vs China on Military Strength - Conventional and Nuclear
India vs China on Military Strength - Conventional and Nuclear
Dmitri June 5th, 2007
As two rising Asian powers with high GDP growths and increasing geo-political influence, India and China have been arch rivals in their race to superpowerdom. The race for regional dominance between these two countries has also spawned a race for militarisation, with India sparing no efforts to match China’s military might. A comparative analysis is therefore overdue, to see how India and China fare against each other in their military strengths.
According to United States DoD (Department of Defense) reports for 2006, China’s military expenditure is estimated to be 80 billion US dollars. However, the official Chinese CPC government quote is a $30 billion military expenditure (which a lot of analysts believe is underquoted). The actual Chinese military capabilities and budget are shrouded in deep secrecy to prevent foreign countries having an idea of its military might…and perhaps to create the strategic advantage of uncertainity. If we were to go by the conservative official Chinese figure of $30 billion, it would put China second only to USA in global military spending. On the other side, India’s official military expenditure for 2006 is quoted at $22 billion by the Ministry of Finance (India) Budget (2006-2007). India however, does not keep a level of secrecy as cloaked as China does, as its democratic government system requires public accountability. By its official 2006 military budget figures, India stands at 9th position in global military spending.
In 2006 India’s active military personell numbered over 1,325,000 while China was significantly higher at 2,255,000. In air defence, China’s PLA (People’s Liberation Army) Air Force has 9,218 aircrafts of which about 2300 are combat aircrafts, operating from its 489+ air bases. The Indian Air Force has 3382 aircrafts which includes 1335 combat aircrafts operating from 334+ bases and its sole aircraft carrier INS Viraat. The

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Red Dragon Research Paper

    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Imagine being in a country roughly the same size as the United States (U.S.) and having over four times the population. Imagine having a limited water supply due to pollution. Imagine having a wall built across your entire country. Imagine a country that frowns upon religion and only allows you to have one child. All these things are true for the country of China. Over the following paragraphs, I will discuss the world’s largest military and some of the struggles that the Chinese people face on a daily basis.…

    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    With rare exception, China has been considered by the world as little more than a footnote to the history of the nuclear era. However, in recent years the pace and scope of China’s military transformation has been seen to have increased significantly. In the current climate, it is now a fact that China is increasingly modernising its military, and this, in conjunction with China’s rising economic power, is new to history. Following from this, many countries and leaders are no longer hesitant to promulgate their views or express their opinions regarding such policies options, with many countries stating that it is becoming hard to deny that over the past two decades rapid economic growth has allowed China to engage in robust military modernisation with the investment growth rate of more than ten percent per year, with some going as far as to argue that the real defence budget could be two to three times higher than the stated figure of the Chinese government. In short, China is becoming a potential threat to regional and international peace and security.…

    • 13480 Words
    • 54 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The research paper goes over China’s economic history, which dates back thousands of years ago. China’s economic history, which is usually divided into three periods according to the era, will give reasoning to their growth throughout the world. Later the paper discusses the advances China has made over the United States with the use of aerospace tehnology and nanotechnology. China has acquired many resources that has other countries turning to them for trade and knowledge. The miltary advances that China has made in such short time gives insight on just how much China can be a threat to not only the United States, but other neighboring countries too. China is one of the most technological advanced, most populous, and the most civilized country in the world. China still holds the title as of being one of the world’s most leading economies.…

    • 8085 Words
    • 33 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    Decline Of Primacy

    • 1862 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The U.S. has maintained its power and influenced in the world for a long history, and it established the fact that the U.S. is the most effective and powerful country in the world in every field of the international affairs such as politics, economy, and military. Its military expenditure is far greater than that of other states and is approximately 50% of the world military expenditure, even though the new emerging great powers like China try to achieve the U.S. military capability and have been investing their military (Lieber, 2011). Moreover, one of the rising powers, China, has drastically grown its economy and has expanded its production nationwide. Its products are, for example, available in any parts of the world, and people can buy them so easily. As a result, China acts as a leader of the Third World, insofar as other new great powers such as BRICs countries have been also developing gradually (Best et al, 2008). However, some international relations analysts argue that the emergence of the new great powers is not so fast enough to overcome the US primacy and cannot achieve the U.S. economically at this stage. The fact that China has been developing its economy so fast is not because China has gained a power to defeat the US economy, but because China has a huge population. Because of the huge population in China, its economy gets bigger.…

    • 1862 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Their military spending budget might looks small for now but being mirror to their boom economy. They could trigger some kind of serious threat because they are managing their money flow. They mentioned, “The military spending will be used to improve living and working conditions of service people, make the armed forces more mechanized and information-based, and safeguard national security.” () Especially, enforce their influences around Southeast Asia region for economy reason. Plus, putting their force around South China Sea to protect their economy and establish preventive points toward U.S. presence in there. Their statement said, “China's peaceful foreign policies and its defensive military policies are conducive to security and peace of Asia," said Fu…

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Indian Defence System

    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The following Fighter Aircraft are included in the Indian Air Force- 5U-75, Hunters, MIG-29, MIG-23, MIG-21, MIG-27 and MIG-25 supersonic. Sjg-29 has been renamed as Baaz. India has also acquired Mirage-2000 r0m France which are called Vajra. MI-45, MI-85, Cheetas and Chetaks are the Halicopters used in Indian Air Force.…

    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Arms Trade

    • 285 Words
    • 2 Pages

    World military spending had reduced since the Cold War ended, but a few nations such as the US retain high level spending. In recent years, global military expenditure has increased again and is now comparable to Cold War levels again. Recent data shows global spending at over $1.4 trillion, annually (or $1.2 trillion at constant 2005 prices). The highest military spender is the US accounting for just under half of the world’s spending, more than the rest of the G7 (most economically advanced countries) combined, and more than all its potential enemies,…

    • 285 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Air Power is a relatively recent addition to military power. Born in the early twentieth century it has matured in just some eighty years, a relatively short time, and come to occupy a central position in the mustering of a nation’s military might. India’s Air Power has made great progress from its humble beginnings in 1932. The past 74 years bear testimony to the country’s growing prowess in air operations. Understanding the evolution of the IAF to see how we have come to where we are is vital to chart the future course of the IAF. This understanding of the evolution also gives an indication of the effectiveness of policies and strategies used in the past and in force on date, further projection and refinement of which, would yield tomorrow’s strategy, and required capabilities along with the required force structure.…

    • 9400 Words
    • 38 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    An increased threat of the re-emergence of the separatist militant organization, de-mining, and rehabilitation efforts by the military forces following the Eelam war, and the strained relationship with India are factors driving military expenditure…

    • 817 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Modern states tailor their defence capabilities to meet their foreign and security policy needs. Such capabilities are provided by weapon systems and trained personnel which are employed according to fundamental military principles. The uncertainties of threat and complexities of risk in the contemporary world demand a wide range of military capabilities. Furthermore, in most future major military operations, land, sea and air forces will be closely dependent upon each other. Therefore, force structures will have to be both adaptable and capable of cooperating with each other in the conduct of joint operations. While human initiative and resourcefulness are of prime significance, the principal drivers of the required force adaptability and interoperability are the equipment and doctrine sub-components of fighting power.…

    • 7441 Words
    • 23 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    What Is a Small State?

    • 664 Words
    • 3 Pages

    One could say that many states, especially in the Western world, are less concerned with survival nowadays, in terms of expansionary, direct military threats. When a state is, for example, a member of the European Union, no matter what the size is of this state, it is highly unlikely that it will be attacked by a power from outside the European Union, as its protection by all the other members of the European Union is guaranteed. Thus we can conclude that military…

    • 664 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The 2013 White Paper is the first defence document that reflects the views of the new leadership. The paper will be analysed from various angles by analysts but its central message is clear: there will be no compromise with China’s sovereignty; and thanks to sustained efforts of the last several decades, the pace of China’s military modernisation will only increase in the future. Further, the PLA, now a formidable force by international standards, will remain the most important instrument of governance in the hands of the Chinese communist party.…

    • 1372 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    China’s rise to the status of a global economic power has been viewed with both skepticism and hope by her neighbors. Skepticism by countries wary of China’s history of aggression as far as territorial disputes are concerned, and hope by countries wishing to benefit from trade partnerships with China. However, it is China’s activities in both the south and East China seas that have got her neighbors worrying. In the 1970s and 80s, China was concerned with marking her terrestrial borders with countries that surround her. It was in the process of defining her borders that China’s military power was felt. There were border skirmishes between China and several of her neighbors including India and Russia.…

    • 2633 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    India China Relationship

    • 7149 Words
    • 29 Pages

    The second school of thought takes a liberal perspective, viewing China and India as two major emerging markets in a more and more interdependent world, where trade and commerce sustain peaceful co-existence. Observing the Indian media it seems that the “China threat“ theory dominates in most news broadcasts (Banyan 2012).…

    • 7149 Words
    • 29 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Pak-China Relations

    • 1936 Words
    • 8 Pages

    India has long been perturbed by China's military aid to Pakistan. K. Alan Kronstadt, a specialist in South Asian affairs at the…

    • 1936 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays