Xi Jinping pushes for greater military might; lays out roadmap to compete with US by 2027

Amid the US-China military tensions which heightened in recent months over the disputed South China Sea and Taiwan, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials have expressed that Beijing must apply cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence if it wants to transform its military into a modern fighting force on a par with those of other leading powers.

Xi pushes for military modernisation

The statements come from a booklet published this month by the state-run People's Publishing House, in which senior officials, including President Xi, outlined the latest five-year plan for the country's development. The military modernisation is being pushed by 67-year-old Xi Jinping, who besides heading the ruling Communist Party (CPC) and the Presidency is also the Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), which is the overall high command for China's 2-million strong military.

According to a PTI report, China this year approved about USD 179 billion defence budget, the second-highest after United States defence spending of USD 732 billion. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) military expenditure figures, China defence spending in 2019 amounted to USD 232 billion. Recent key conclave of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) has finalised plans to build a fully modern military on par with the US by 2027.

By the year 2027, which marks the centennial of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), China will build a fully modern military, a goal that is in alignment with the national strength and will fulfil the future national defence need, CCP's mouthpiece Global Times quoted Chinese analysts as saying early this month.

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China lays a plan to catch up with the US by 2027

The Plenary session of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) headed by Xi, which held a four-day meeting, adopted his proposals for the formulation of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035. Analysts say China's aim is to build an army that is on a par with that of the United States.

In an article titled "Speed up the Modernisation of Defence and Military" from the booklet published by People's Publishing House, Xu Qiliang, vice-chairman of the CMC, stressed the importance of smart technologies in modernising the PLA, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Thursday.

China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea area while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over it. The US in recent months has stepped up naval and aerial patrols over the area to assert the right of freedom of navigation. The Chinese military closely tailed the US patrols sparking tensions. China is also concerned over US naval ships to travel through the Taiwan straits and high-tech arms sales to Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its mainland.

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