The Chinese army is a serious opponent for everyone. Chinese Army: size, composition, weapons Noak of China

If the world were ideal, then no armies or weapons would be needed and there would never be wars. But the reality is that threats both abroad and domestically put national security at risk. This reality forces many states to have a powerful army in the form of human potential and weapons.
There are several outstanding armies that are widely known for their size, combat experience and military equipment. They are among the ten largest armies in the world.

1. China

The world's largest army in terms of army size is unsurprisingly occupied by the most populous country in the world, the Chinese People's Army. This nation is known not only for its large territory, but also for its huge population and, accordingly, the largest army. The Chinese People's Liberation Army was founded in 1927.

Its main part consists of citizens aged 18 to 49 years. Number of people: 2,300,000. Budget $129 billion per year. About 240 installations for launching nuclear missiles. The Chinese army is well trained and has large resources in weapons and mobilization resources in the event of war, it can put 200,000,000 people under arms. It is armed with 8,500 tanks, 61 submarines, 54 surface ships and 4,000 aircraft.

Russian army

The Russian army is one of the most experienced in the world. Its strength is 1,013,628 military personnel (according to the presidential decree of March 28, 2017). The annual budget is $64 billion and ranks 3rd in the world in terms of military spending. It is armed with 2,867 tanks, 10,720 armored vehicles, 2,646 self-propelled guns, and 2,155 towed artillery pieces. Russia also has the largest number of nuclear warheads in the world.

3.United States of America

US Army

The US Army was founded in 1775. The United States currently has 1,400,000 active military personnel and 1,450,000 in the active reserve. The defense budget is what truly sets the US apart from all the other countries on the list; it is over $689 billion per year.
The United States also has the most trained troops and a powerful arsenal. Its ground forces use 8,325 tanks, 18,539 armored combat vehicles, 1,934 self-propelled guns, 1,791 towed artillery pieces, and 1,330 nuclear warheads.

Indian Army

Located in southern Asia, India is the world's largest arms importer. With a strength of 1.325 thousand soldiers and officers. The Army's military budget is $44 billion a year. There are also about 80 nuclear warheads in service.

5. North Korea

North Korean Army

North Korea has a well-trained and coordinated army of 1,106,000, as well as a large number of reservists, 8,200,000 as of 2011. It also has a large number of weapons, they include: 5,400 tanks, 2,580 armored vehicles, 1,600 self-propelled guns, 3,500 towed artillery pieces, 1,600 air defense systems and other powerful weapons. Military conscription in this state is compulsory for everyone; the period of military service is 10 years.
While the totalitarian regime in North Korea has built a large army, much of its military equipment is considered obsolete. However, they have nuclear weapons, which in turn poses a threat to the stability of peace in this region.

6. South Korea

Photo of the South Korean Army

Next on the list of the largest armies in the world is the South Korean army. In this state, the conscription age is from 18 to 35 years, the service period is 21 months.
Its armed forces are called the Republic of Korea Army. It uses both domestic and imported weapons. It is armed with 2,300 tanks, 2,600 armored vehicles, 30 air defense systems and 5,300 artillery pieces. The number of its troops reaches approximately 1,240,000 people.

7. Pakistan

Pakistan Army

The Pakistan Army rightfully ranks among the largest armies in the world. It has a workforce of 617,000 people and a personnel reserve of about 515,500 people as of 2011.
Its ground forces use a wide range of weapons: 3,490 tanks, 5,745 armored vehicles, 1,065 self-propelled guns, 3,197 towed artillery pieces. The Air Force is armed with 1,531 aircraft and 589 helicopters. The naval force consists of 11 frigates and 8 submarines. With a budget of just over $5 billion, it is the smallest budget of the top ten military powers. Pakistan may be a small country in size, but it is undoubtedly one of the largest armies in the world in terms of size and military prowess. This army is also a permanent ally of the United States.

Iranian army

They say that the most powerful army in the Middle East is the army of Iran. Iran is also known for its large troop numbers. It has approximately 545,000 personnel, divided into 14 infantry divisions and 15 air bases. Their army is equipped with 2,895 tanks, 1,500 armored vehicles, 310 self-propelled guns, 860 air defense systems, 1,858 aircraft and 800 helicopters. The defense budget is just over $10 billion.

Turkish army

Türkiye has the largest army at the meeting point of Asia and Europe. Citizens are called up for service at the age of 20. Conscription lasts approximately 6 to 15 months, depending on the educational level of the students. The strength of the Turkish army is 1,041,900 people, of which 612,900 are regular military personnel and 429,000 are in the reserve. Its army is also well armed and has 4,460 tanks, 1,500 self-propelled guns, 7,133 armored vehicles, 406 air defense systems, 570 airplanes and helicopters. The annual budget of this army is 19 billion dollars.

10. Israel

Israeli army

The army of the State of Israel is known as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Men over 18 years of age are subject to conscription every year. Every year, about 121,000 men can be drafted into the army to serve in any of its military branches. Currently, the Israeli army consists of 187,000 regular military personnel and a reserve of 565,000 people. As a result, the number of troops in the Israel Defense Forces is about 752,000. The army is equipped with the latest technology and is armed with 3,870 tanks, 1,775 armored vehicles, 706 self-propelled guns, 350 towed artillery pieces, and 48 air defense systems.

Not all countries in the world need a large army for reliable protection. However, maintaining peace and order would be impossible without a well-organized and armed army.

Brief history

It is believed that the impetus for the development of special forces was the conclusion made in 1985 by the Military Council of the CPC Central Committee, headed by Deng Xiaoping, that there was no possibility of large-scale armed conflicts using conventional armed forces in the foreseeable future. The next reason for changing military concepts was the conclusions from a study of the experience of the war in the Persian Gulf.
The first unit was formed in 1988 in the Guangzhou Military District.

Number, structure

At the moment, in each of the seven military districts of China there is a special forces regiment subordinate to the district command (of 3 battalions, with a total strength of about 1000 people), in addition, at each level of military formations there are their own special forces units: in the corps - a battalion (total 18 battalions, each with 300-400 people), in a brigade - a company (about 120 people), at the regiment level - a platoon (30-40 people).

The level of training, as well as equipment, increases significantly from regiment to brigade, from brigade to corps, and from corps to district.
In addition, special forces include units of amphibious assault ("Amphibious Assault") and airborne assault ("Sharp Sword of the Blue Sky").

Officially they do not belong to the special forces, but are trained under a lightweight special forces program, which is still much more complex than the training program for ordinary PLA soldiers. The 162nd (as part of the 54th Army), the 63rd (as part of the 21st Army) and the 149th I (as part of the 13th Army) high-readiness division. Close to this level of training are the 1st (Hangzhou, Nanjing Military District), the 38th (86 thousand people, Baoding, Beijing Military District), the 39th (75 thousand people, Yingkou, Shenyang Military District) and the 54th. I (89 thousand people, Xinxiang, Jinan Military District) rapid reaction army. These groups are considered to be among the best equipped and combat ready Chinese armies.

In addition to army special forces, there are: special forces of the Armed Police (AM) and units of the Special Forces of the Public Security Forces subordinate to the Ministry of Public Security (MSS).

There are also separate special units, about which fragmentary information only occasionally appears in the public domain: the anti-terrorism unit "Panther" (according to some sources, it may be assigned to the Chengdu Military District, perhaps it was a predecessor or was part of the "Falcon"), "Snow Wolf" ( subordinate to VM) and others.
China's elite special forces unit, which brings together only the best of the best, is the Vostok anti-terrorism unit, stationed near Beijing airport; its full name is the anti-terrorist special purpose police unit 722 MOB of the Institute for the Training of Special Forces Soldiers VM.

The Institute itself was founded in 1983. During its existence, it graduated more than a thousand people, most of whom became special forces instructors.

Purpose

China's special forces are one of the main components of China's Rapid Reaction Force, which must wage war in a limited regional conflict and use the latest military technologies, incl. targeted strikes outside the enemy’s vulnerable zone.
The functions of special forces include: reconnaissance, short-term and/or small-scale military operations and anti-terrorism activities, incl. and the destruction of separatist formations.

Preparation

The Chinese claim that their special forces are trained with extensive use of health and combat elements of traditional cultural movements of the Celestial Empire: for example, qigong.
If you believe the information diligently disseminated on the Internet, Chinese special forces soldiers undergo such physical training that borders on, if not exceeds, the limits of human capabilities (including mental ones). Apparently, these fantastic data - perceived by many with surprise, delight, confusion, and even fear, on the other hand - are a well-prepared propaganda ploy. However, be that as it may, there is no reason to doubt the good (if not excellent) physical and psychological preparation of Chinese special forces soldiers.

Efficiency

Since 1998, Chinese special forces have received invitations to the international special forces competitions held in Estonia - ERNA. Participating in competitions for the first time, Chinese special forces received 8 first places, one second and 4 third places in 20 types of programs, taking 3rd place in the overall standings.
The Chinese team later won the Best Overseas Team award.
According to unverified data, 32 fighters from the Falcon unit were sent to assist the intelligence services of the Afghan government to free Chinese workers taken hostage. The Islamabad Times newspaper claimed that Chinese special forces freed the hostages at night without firing a single shot and detained the 21 terrorists who were holding them, which was given the highest assessment by representatives of the US intelligence services in Afghanistan (the information has not been officially confirmed).
Regarding this case, it is worth noting that this is the only publicly known case of China’s successful use of special forces, but without being confirmed by any official sources, the episode is suspiciously reminiscent of a successful PR stunt for which the Chinese are famous.
At the same time, it should be noted that Chinese special forces do not have extensive significant experience in participating in hostilities.

Equipment for special forces units

Finally, let's move on to the main issue - the weapons of China's special forces.
Considering the existence of various special forces units of the PLA, which have different tasks and, accordingly, different levels of training, subordination to different structures of the army, police, military forces and militia, we should assume the existence of different degrees of equipment and quality of weapons for them.
Regarding some special forces, there is no data on weapons at all; for others, the data on the Internet is clearly outdated. We will have to make assumptions, since having modern small arms in service in the army, the Chinese would hardly have left outdated models in the special forces arsenal (as is clear from information on Internet sources).

According to a number of sources, certain special forces units (for example, Navy special forces) are still armed with Chinese-made pistols that copy foreign models: TT, Beretta, Colt, CZ, etc.
At the same time, many combat units are already equipped with modern pistols created by Chinese designers

This pistol was created at the end of the last century for a new ammunition - the 5.8x2.1mm DAP pistol cartridge, designed to increase the penetration ability of the bullet to overcome the enemy’s personal protection - body armor (an idea previously implemented in the FN Five-Seven).
The new pointed low-impulse cartridge actually had greater penetration and lethality, as well as a flatter flight trajectory than other types of pistol cartridges, including the main pistol cartridge, the 9-mm NATO (“Parabellum”).
The handle is more comfortable, the recoil impulse when firing is felt weaker than with a weapon designed for the 9mm Parabellum cartridge, so the new Chinese pistol turned out to be easy to control. It has a frame made of impact-resistant polymer materials, which reduces the weight of the weapon to 0.76 kg. Moreover, a single module made of steel is inserted into the frame on top and combines both the guide grooves for the bolt and the body of the trigger mechanism. The inserts on the pistol grip are replaceable and allow you to adjust the size of the grip. There are also plastic inserts on the sides on the back of the bolt housing, making reloading easier.

5.8mm pistol QSZ 92 with a device for silent and flameless shooting and an optical sight

The automatic pistol operates on the principle of using recoil with a short barrel stroke. The bolt is locked by turning the barrel. The trigger mechanism is double action. The double-sided safety lever is mounted on the frame and additionally serves to safely release the hammer from cocking. The double-row magazine is designed for 20 pistol 5.8mm or 15 9mm cartridges. Under the barrel on the frame there are guide grooves for attaching a tactical combat flashlight or laser target designator. It can be equipped with a device for silent and flameless shooting. This pistol can be fired from both the right and left hands, as well as from both hands. The model of the 5.8 mm QSZ 92 pistol for the PLA has a rounded trigger guard, which characterizes the Chinese shooting technique from short-barreled weapons, which is different from the Western one.
Total length - 190 mm; barrel length 115 mm.

Submachine guns

Many sources indicate that Chinese special forces soldiers are armed with submachine guns "Type 64".

This submachine gun was developed in the early 60s. for arming PLA special forces; designed for low noise and flameless shooting, has an integral silencer. Cartridges 7.62mm Type 64 (case from the 7.62x25mm TT cartridge plus a heavy pointed bullet with a steel core). The bullet has a subsonic speed (to suppress sound) of flight. The design of the submachine gun shows a noticeable influence from the Type 56 assault rifle (a copy of the Soviet AK assault rifle). In particular, the design of the safety-translator and the pistol grip were borrowed.
Automation with a free shutter is used. Rate of fire - 1300 rounds/min. Sight up to 200 meters.
However, to replace this PP in the 80s, China began to produce a new PP Type-85.

The action is based on the principle of automatic blowback. The receiver is cylindrical in shape; the trigger mechanism housing, made of stamped sheet steel, is attached to it from below. The fire mode translator additionally serves as a fuse and is located above the trigger guard. The version with a silencer has a number of holes in the barrel to discharge part of the powder gases into the rear expansion chamber of the silencer. The same ammunition is used - 7.62x25mm Type 64.
In 2005, the PLA entered service with a new submachine gun. Type 05.

For the army, a variant was developed for the new cartridge DAP 92-5.8 (caliber 5.8x21mm, bullet speed 480-500 m/s). A version chambered for 9x19mm was released for use by the Chinese police and for export.
Automatic blowback; The receiver is made of aluminum, the elements of the stock, made in a bullpup layout, are made of plastic. The ejection of cartridges is only on the right side, so shooting from the left shoulder is unsafe for the shooter. The fire mode switch safety switch is located above the fire control handle and allows firing with single shots, bursts with a cut-off of 3 shots and bursts of arbitrary length. Additionally, there is an automatic safety on the back of the pistol grip. Bolt cocking handle: on the military version - inside the integral handle for carrying the weapon, above the receiver; for the 9mm JS variant it is on the right side of the weapon, since the top of the receiver is occupied by a Picatinny-type rail. The military version has standard sights that are open, and the carrying handle has a mount for installing optical and collimator sights. The 9mm JS submachine gun is not equipped with conventional sights. The cartridges are fed from detachable box magazines - four-row with a capacity of 50 rounds of our own design for the 5.8mm submachine gun or two-row with a capacity of 30 rounds for the 9mm JS.

Slot machines

The special forces are armed with a combined arms machine gun QBZ-95, adopted for service in 1995, the name Type-95 is also used. A domestic 5.8x42mm caliber cartridge was developed for this weapon. This cartridge has a bullet weighing 4.1 g with a steel core, the initial speed is 930 m/s.
Automation type:
Length: 760 mm
Barrel length: 490 mm
Weight: 3.35 kg without cartridges
Shop: 30 rounds
The QBZ-95 assault rifle is built in a bullpup configuration. The body is made of high-strength plastic, the receiver is made of aluminum alloy. The automation is largely copied from the SVD. The barrel is locked by turning the bolt by 3 lugs; the gas engine has a piston with a short stroke located above the barrel.
2 fire modes: single and burst. The fuse - fire mode translator is located on the left in the rear of the receiver, at the very back of the butt. The front of the trigger guard is greatly enlarged, which should provide a more comfortable grip for the left hand. Sights are located on the integral carrying handle and have a range adjustment from 100 to 500 m. On the carrying handle there are mounts for optical or night sights.
The QBZ-95 can be equipped with a Chinese-developed 40-mm grenade launcher, or can be used to throw rifle grenades mounted on the barrel of a weapon. Comes with a bayonet knife.

QBZ-95-1 carbine with optical sight and 35mm grenade launcher.

Two years ago, information appeared about a new modification of the machine gun Type 95-1 (QBZ 95-1). The new version of the machine gun has received a number of improvements and improvements: changing the shape of the trigger guard, moving the fire safety switch to a more convenient place - above the pistol fire control handle, the strength of plastic parts has been increased, the barrel life has been increased, a bolt stop and a gas regulator have appeared in the design of the weapon; the machine gun received a new quick-release optical sight; The direction of ejection of spent cartridges has been changed - now they are ejected to the right and forward at an angle of 45 degrees to the firing line, which makes shooting from the left shoulder possible. The assault rifle can be equipped with the new 35mm QLG-10A under-barrel grenade launcher; the design of the assault rifle also allows rifle grenades to be launched from the barrel.
The QBZ-95 family of small arms is in service with a number of elite PLA units, and includes standard and shortened assault rifles, a magazine-fed light machine gun, and a sniper rifle. All these samples use the same ammunition (5.8x42mm).

Type 03 (QBZ-03) assault rifle with fixed bayonet

Caliber: 5.8x42mm
Automation type: gas vent, locking by turning the bolt
Length: 950 mm (750 mm with stock folded)
Weight: 3.5 kg
Rate of fire: 650 ext. / min.
Shop: 30 rounds
Machine Type 03 (QBZ-03) is a direct competitor to the relatively new Type 95 (QBZ-95) assault rifle, which has been in service with the PLA since the late 90s. For some reason, not widely covered in the press, the QBZ-95 assault rifle, made in a bullpup layout, did not satisfy the Chinese military, and the Type 03 assault rifle was born, chambered for the same new 5.8mm caliber cartridge, but with a traditional layout.
Plastic box magazines are compatible with the QBZ-95 assault rifle. The safety switch is located on the left side of the weapon, above the pistol grip, providing single and burst fire. The stock is plastic, folding.
It is still unclear how the confrontation between the Type 03 and Type 95 model models will be resolved...

Sniper rifles

Sniper rifle Type 88 (QBU-88) in service since 1997

Weight: 4.1 kg
Length: 920 mm
Barrel length: 640 mm
Cartridge: 5.8x42mm
Principle of operation: removal of powder gases, rotary bolt
Range: 800 m
Shop: for 10 rounds
Aim: 4X optics
QBU-88 (Type 88) is a Chinese bullpup sniper rifle. The receiver is steel. The rifle has open sights, an adjustable diopter rear sight, and a front sight in a ring-shaped front sight. The receiver is equipped with a mount for installing a bracket for optical or night sights. A 4X daytime optical sight is attached to the rifle. The barrel has a flash suppressor.
For shooting, 5.8x42mm rifle cartridges are used, or rather a special version of them with a heavier bullet with an armor-piercing core.

M99.

Caliber: 12.7x108 (M99-I) or 12.7x99/.50BMG (M99-II)
Mechanism: gas-operated semi-automatic
Weight: 12 kg
Length: 1500 mm
Shop: for 5 rounds, detachable box-shaped
It is assumed that it will enter service with the PLA or special police forces of the PRC. It is produced in two externally and structurally identical versions, differing only in the cartridge used - Soviet 12.7x108 (M99-I) or “Western” 12.7x99/.50BMG (M99-II). There is no reliable data on the shooting accuracy of this rifle, however, the available information suggests an accuracy of about 2MOA (minutes of angle), which is more or less sufficient to destroy light equipment and to combat lightly fortified firing points at medium ranges (sniper positions, machine gun nests, etc.). P.).
To reduce felt recoil, a muzzle brake is installed on the barrel, and the buttstock is equipped with a rubber butt pad-shock absorber. The rifle is equipped with a folding bipod and an additional adjustable support under the butt. To install sighting devices, a Picatinny rail type guide is used. The rifle can be equipped with various optical (day) and electro-optical (night) sights.

Large caliber sniper rifle

This rifle has been adopted by special units of the Army and Navy of the People's Republic of China. It uses a wide range of 12.7x108mm cartridges, including Chinese-developed armor-piercing sabot cartridges and special high-precision sniper cartridges. At the same time, the declared accuracy of fire for the QBU-10 rifle “does not reach” Western sniper standards - according to Chinese publications, the typical accuracy of this rifle is about 2-3 minutes of arc (2-3 MOA). However, Chinese sources state that this weapon has an effective firing range of up to 1000 meters against enemy personnel and equipment.
Length: 1380 mm
Barrel length: 780mm
Weight: 13.3 kg (without scope and ammunition)
The QBU-10 large-caliber rifle uses gas-operated automatics with a short-stroke gas piston located above the barrel. The barrel bore is locked using a rotating bolt. The rifle can be easily disassembled into its main components (barrel, receiver, butt, trigger block with pistol grip) and, when disassembled, can be carried in a regular backpack, without attracting unnecessary attention to the shooter. At the combat position, the rifle is quickly assembled and brought into firing position. To reduce felt recoil, the QBU-10 rifle is equipped with a massive muzzle brake and a rubber butt pad. Additionally, the rifle barrel has the ability to roll back in the receiver when fired, which apparently explains the relatively low accuracy of fire. To ensure stability when shooting, there is a folding bipod and a retractable rear support under the butt. The cartridges are fed from detachable box magazines with a capacity of 5 cartridges.
The rifle is standardly equipped with open sights on folding bases, but the standard sight for it is a special optical-electronic complex mounted on a guide on the receiver. The rifle's sighting system includes a day optical channel, a night infrared channel, a laser rangefinder and a ballistic computer. The main controls of the sighting system are located on its body; in addition, the sight has a remote block of buttons mounted on the pistol grip of the rifle and connected to the sighting system with a wire.

Machine guns

Light machine gun Type 95 (QBB-95)

Caliber: 5.8x42mm
Weight: 3.9 kg with bipod, without magazine
Length: 840 mm
Barrel length: 600 mm
Nutrition: magazine, 80 or 30 rounds
The device is similar to a machine gun and has up to 70% compatibility with it in terms of parts and components. From a tactical point of view, the Type 95 machine gun is an analogue of the RPK-74 machine gun, with a comparable barrel length, being noticeably shorter and a kilogram lighter (however, according to rumors, being much less reliable than the RPK). Compared to the most common light machine gun in the West, the FN Minimi, the Chinese light machine gun has significantly less firepower, both due to the use of magazines and a non-replaceable barrel.
Gas-operated automatics are used with a top-mounted gas piston and a short stroke. The barrel is locked by turning the bolt. The body is made of plastic, the ejection of spent cartridges is to the right. A drum magazine with a capacity of 80 rounds is standard; in addition, open-end 30-round magazines from the QBZ-95 assault rifle can be used. The machine gun is equipped with a lightweight folding bipod attached to the barrel.

Single machine gun

Caliber: 5.8x42mm
Weight: 11.8 kg with bipod + 4.2 kg tripod machine
Length: 1151 mm
Barrel length: 600 mm
Nutrition: 200 round belt
The single machine gun is one of the latest developments by Chinese gunsmiths.
It was developed for the new Chinese small-caliber 5.8mm cartridge, used in QBZ-95 assault rifles and QBB-95 light machine guns, but there is information that a special version of this cartridge has been created for it with a weighted bullet, providing a greater effective firing range.
The new machine gun is not very popular among fighters, since its weight is close to the weight of a full-fledged single machine gun, while the ballistic characteristics are rather close to the FN Minimi.
Type 88 is built on the basis of gas-operated automatics with a lower location of the gas piston. The barrel bore is locked by turning the bolt. The barrel is quick-change. The cartridges are fed from a non-loose metal belt with a capacity of 200 cartridges, the tape is fed from left to right. The cartridges are fed in two stages (the cartridge is first removed from the belt link backwards, then sent forward into the barrel). The tape is placed in a special plastic box that can be attached to the weapon. The machine gun is equipped with a folding bipod attached to a gas unit and can be mounted on a special tripod machine or equipment. The machine gun can be equipped with an optical or night sight.

Shotguns

Shotgun QBS09 adopted in 2009 by the PLA and the armed people's police of China.

Type: Self-loading, gas outlet
Caliber: 12
Length: 710 - 895 mm
Barrel length: 382 mm
Magazine capacity: 5 rounds
The main ammunition is the Chinese DBD09 cartridge with a varnished steel sleeve, equipped with round tungsten buckshot of 5.3mm caliber. Each cartridge holds 14 such buckshots in a plastic wad container; one buckshot weighs 1.4 grams. The initial charge speed is about 420 m/s, the declared effective firing range is up to 100 meters. The shotgun can also fire a wide range of conventional 12 gauge ammunition in standard or Magnum load options.
The QBS09 shotgun is self-loading, with automatic gas venting. An annular gas piston is placed around the tube of the under-barrel magazine; the design of the gas outlet assembly includes a manual gas regulator, which ensures firing in normal or difficult conditions, as well as blocking the gas outlet for firing with manual reloading (for example, when using “non-lethal” cartridges with rubber bullets). The barrel bore is locked when fired using a rotating bolt. The receiver of the gun is made of aluminum alloy and has a corrosion-resistant coating. The bore and bolt are chrome plated. The cartridges are fed from an under-barrel tubular magazine. The window for loading the magazine is located at the bottom of the receiver. The gun is equipped with a telescopic sliding butt; to mitigate recoil, the design includes a spring stock buffer located in the rear part of the receiver. Sights are rifle type, with a reversible L-shaped rear sight, adjusted at ranges of 50 and 100 meters. On the top of the receiver there is a rail for mounting optics, compatible with the family of weapons based on the 5.8mm Type 95 assault rifle.

Shotgun LW-3 with a drum magazine and a 38mm under-barrel grenade launcher for “non-lethal” ammunition

Shotgun LW-3 with a box magazine and a 38mm under-barrel grenade launcher for "non-lethal" ammunition

Caliber: 12
Length: 660/ 880 mm
Weight(without magazine): 3.2 kg
Magazine capacity: 5, 10 or 20 rounds
Automatic shotgun (shotgun) LW-3 is a relatively new development of Chinese industry. First shown to the Chinese public in 2012, this gun is intended primarily for arming special police units, and, unlike most similar systems, it allows automatic fire. It can also be equipped with a special single-shot 38mm grenade launcher designed to launch “non-lethal” ammunition containing tear gas, rubber buckshot or other special equipment.
Detailed data on the design of the LW-3 gun is not yet available, but presumably it uses gas-operated automatics. The three-position safety switch ensures firing of single shots and bursts. The butt folds sideways; if necessary, shooting can be done with the butt folded. The sights are rifle-type; in addition, the gun has a Picatinny-type rail for installing collimator sights, laser designators and other similar equipment.

In addition, it was reported that until recently, some Chinese special forces units were still armed with Soviet-made light machine guns RPD-44, RP-46, RPK; grenade launchers RPG-2, RPG-7. Of the modern locally produced grenade launchers, the semi-automatic grenade launcher should be mentioned QLB-06/QLZ-87B.

Self-loading infantry 35x32mm grenade launcher; gas exhaust automation is used.
Length - 1046 mm, weight - 9.1 kg (without ammunition), magazine capacity - 4 or 6 shots, effective firing range - 600 m (point targets), 1000 m (area targets).
This grenade launcher was a further development of the Chinese QLZ-87 automatic grenade launcher. The main purpose is to provide direct support to infantry at the platoon/company level. Aluminum alloys were used to ensure mobility, but automatic fire had to be abandoned and the magazine capacity had to be reduced. Allows you to fight not only enemy infantry, but also lightly armored vehicles and light fortifications.
The range of 35mm rounds for this grenade launcher includes high-explosive fragmentation (HE), armor-piercing fragmentation (HE-B), incendiary and training (inert) rounds. For HE grenades, the radius of lethal action of fragments is stated to be up to 10 meters, for HE-B grenades, the armor-piercing radius is up to 80 mm normal. The mass of one shot (grenade in a unitary cartridge) is about 250 grams, the initial speed of the grenade is about 190 m/s, the maximum shot range is 1750 meters.
The semi-automatic grenade launcher QLB-06/QLZ-87B uses gas-operated automatics with direct action of the powder gases removed from the barrel on the bolt frame. The barrel is locked tightly by turning the bolt. To reduce recoil, the grenade launcher is equipped with a muzzle brake and a recoil buffer for the bolt group. Sights include a front and rear sight hidden in a channel on the integral handle for carrying the weapon, as well as a Picatinny rail.

The People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) is the armed forces of the People's Republic of China, the largest army in the world (2,250,000 people on active duty). Founded on August 1, 1927 as a result of the Nanchang Uprising as the communist “Red Army”, under the leadership of Mao Zedong during the Chinese Civil War (1930s) it organized large raids (the Long March of the Chinese Communists), after the proclamation of the People's Republic of China in 1949 - the regular army of this states.

The legislation provides for military service for men from 18 years of age; Volunteers are accepted up to 49 years of age. Due to the country's large population and sufficient number of volunteers, conscription was never carried out. In wartime, up to 300 million people could theoretically be mobilized.

The PLA is subordinate not directly to the party or government, but to two special Central Military Commissions - the state and the party. Usually these commissions are identical in composition, and the term CVC is used in the singular. The post of chairman of the Central Exhibition Committee is key for the entire state. In recent years, it usually belongs to the Chairman of the PRC, but in the 1980s, for example, the Central Military Commission was headed by Deng Xiaoping, who was actually the leader of the country (formally, he was never either the Chairman of the PRC or the Premier of the State Council of the PRC, but the post of Secretary General of the Party Central Committee occupied earlier, even under Mao before the “cultural revolution”).

The naval forces of the People's Republic of China number 250,000 and are organized into three fleets: the North Sea Fleet, headquartered in Qingdao, the East Sea Fleet, headquartered in Ningbo, and the South Sea Fleet, headquartered in Zhanjiang. Each fleet includes surface ships, submarines, naval aviation, coastal defense units and marines.

General information:
Minimum military age for recruitment: 19 years
Available military manpower: 5,883,828
Total military personnel: 1,965,000
on the front line: 290,000
reserve forces: 1,653,000
paramilitary: 22,000
Annual military expenditure: $10,500,000,000
Available purchasing power: $690,100,000,000
Reported gold reserves: $282,900,000,000
Total workforce: 10,780,000

Units
Aircraft: 916
Armored cars: 2,819
Artillery systems: 2,040
Missile protection systems: 1,499
Infantry support systems: 1,400
Naval units: 97
Merchant Sea Force: 102
Presence of nuclear weapons: no

Territories suitable for military operations
Serviceable airports: 41
Railways: 2,502 km
Serviceable highways: 37,299 km
Main ports and harbors: 3
Total territory of the country: 35,980 km²

other information:
Chinese army at the beginning of the 21st century

Almost seventy-four years ago, on August 1, 1927, Chinese revolutionaries, among whom was the famous Zhou Enlai, who later became the first Premier of the State Administrative Council of the People's Republic of China, raised an uprising in Nanchang (Jiangxi Province) against the “northern” government existing at that time in China.

More than 20 thousand armed fighters under the leadership of the Communist Party of China thus expressed their disagreement with the existing regime, thereby marking the beginning of the armed struggle of the Chinese people against external and internal enemies. On July 11, 1933, the Provisional Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic decided to celebrate August 1 as the day of the founding of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. This day later became known as the date of birth of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA).

This is one of the few public holidays that originated long before the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 and today is one of the most revered and widely celebrated in the PRC and the Chinese people.

Readers of the Asian Library will learn about what the Chinese army is today, what it consists of, how it is characterized, and what prospects for the further defense construction of our great neighboring state from this article, written based on materials from the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russian and foreign press.

According to the National Defense Law of the People's Republic of China adopted in March 1997, the PLA and reserve troops, together with the People's Armed Police (PAP) and the people's militia, constitute the "triple system" of China's armed forces.

Today, the People's Liberation Army of China has been significantly reduced and numbers about 2.8 million people. It includes all the components of a modern army, including the air force, navy, and other forces, which are armed not only with conventional weapons, but also with intercontinental missiles and modern nuclear weapons.

Strategic nuclear forces include land, air and sea components and have a total of 167 nuclear weapons carriers. They are based on the Strategic Missile Forces, which are armed with 75 ground-based ballistic missile launchers. Strategic aviation has 80 Hun-6 aircraft (created on the basis of the Tu-16). The naval component includes the nuclear-powered missile submarine with 12 missile launchers, the Julan-1.

The ground forces number 2.2 million military personnel and consist of 89 combined arms field force divisions (including 3 “quick reaction” divisions and 11 tank divisions), most of which are consolidated into 24 combined arms armies.

The air force has about 4 thousand combat aircraft, mostly obsolete types, and is intended mainly to solve air defense tasks and, to a lesser extent, to support ground forces. They are dominated by fighter aircraft, which account for about 75% of the aircraft fleet.

The navy has about 100 large warships and 600 combat aircraft and naval aviation helicopters. To protect the coast, there are about 900 patrol ships capable of operating only in the coastal zone. The Chinese Navy does not yet have aircraft-carrying cruisers. For underwater operations, there are about 50 Kilo-class diesel submarines in service.

In the 90s The combat strength of the PLA has not undergone significant changes, which is explained by the attention of the country's leadership primarily to the problems of restructuring the scientific research complex and the defense industry. At the same time, the amount of military equipment in the troops and navy was slightly reduced due to the removal of the most outdated models from service.

Modernization of the PLA at the current stage is carried out at a slow pace and is selective. The greatest efforts are being made to modernize strategic nuclear forces by replacing outdated liquid-propellant missiles with more advanced solid-fuel missiles Dongfeng-41 and Julan-2.

Recently, another direction has been developed - the creation, on the basis of existing formations, of mobile forces of the PLA, intended for action in local conflicts along the perimeter of the state border, as well as to provide support to the people's armed police in ensuring internal security and public order. The number of this developing component is about 250 thousand people (9% of the ground forces), and in the near future it is expected to include strike aviation and part of the naval forces. By 2010, mobile forces may include up to one third of the PLA (about 800 thousand people).

Along with the development of new types of conventional weapons, in particular the Type 90-11 main battle tank and the Jian-10 (R-10) multi-role fighter, steps are being taken to overcome China's lagging behind militarily developed countries in the field of precision weapons. The Chinese military leadership believes that this type of weapon has recently been actively proving its effectiveness. The widespread use of high-precision weapons during the recent NATO aggression in the Balkans, despite a number of blunders (or specially planned actions) that led to the tragedy at the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia, which resulted in the death of 3 Chinese citizens, indicates their high combat effectiveness.

The Americans cannot come to terms with the fact that in the person of the PRC they are acquiring another powerful competitor in the field of creating high-precision weapons. In 1997, the US Secretary of Defense's report on China's military strategy expressed concern about the work to create a Chinese cruise missile, which could enter service in 2010. The United States is also angry that in the foreseeable future China may cease to be one of the potential American nuclear targets, since in 1996 Beijing began developing its own missile defense system, which is also scheduled to be completed in design by 2005-2010.

According to Chinese experts, the technical equipment of China's defense industry lags behind the advanced level by more than 15 years. To quickly bridge this gap and solve the problems of defense modernization, the PRC leadership decided to resume military-technical cooperation with Russia. Today it is carried out on a long-term contractual basis in the context of the developing relations of equal, trusting partnership between the two countries and covers such areas as military science, high technologies (including dual-use), space, and communications. China received the opportunity to purchase Russian military equipment, train military-technical specialists in Russia, and implement joint projects for the development, modernization and repair of weapons. Such steps by China undoubtedly contribute to solving the most pressing problems of modernization of the PLA.

In recent years, China has purchased large quantities of military equipment from Russia; a license was acquired for the production of Russian Su-27 fighters (without the right to export to third countries), an agreement was concluded on the repair of Chinese diesel submarines at Russian enterprises.

An analysis of Chinese doctrinal views and trends in defense construction in the current decade shows that China intends to continue the modernization of the military-industrial complex and armed forces, considering these measures as a guarantee of external and internal security and a necessary condition for the successful economic and social development of the country.

Main trends in the field of defense construction of the PRC

The main trends in the field of defense development of the PRC are formed under the influence of new aspects in doctrinal views, which have replaced the previous concept of preparing the country for a global war. The main one is the thesis that a new world war is unlikely to be possible in the foreseeable future, since today there are opportunities to ensure a peaceful international situation for a relatively long period. At the same time, according to Chinese estimates, the stereotypes of thinking of the Cold War period and politics from a position of strength have not been eliminated from the practice of international relations, as evidenced by the humanitarian catastrophe that broke out in the Balkans in April-June 1999 due to the fault of the United States and NATO. The roles of countries and the balance of forces in world politics do not have a constant configuration and, under certain conditions, can change in a direction unfavorable for China. Therefore, at the turn of the century, the country's leadership considered it important to transform China into a state with powerful armed forces capable of effectively protecting the country from external threats. This is largely due to the experience of relations with the West in the last century, when China, which has a high culture but is weak militarily, was subjected to intrigue and outright robbery by Western countries, experienced national humiliation and fell into semi-colonial dependence on them.

In this regard, as follows from official statements, in particular from the White Paper on National Defense, recently published by the State Council of the People's Republic of China, the main content of the PRC's policy in the field of military development is strengthening defense, countering aggression and armed subversion, ensuring state sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of the country. It is emphasized that the PRC cannot be a source of aggression and will never, under any circumstances, be the first to use nuclear weapons.

At the turn of the century, the prevailing trend in the field of military development of the PRC was the improvement of the qualitative parameters of the defense potential while simultaneously reducing the number of the PLA. The country's leadership is putting forward a demand to strengthen the army through science and technology, strengthen defense research, create and improve a defense industry mechanism that meets the conditions of a market economy, and gradually update weapons and equipment.

The armed forces are tasked with increasing the capabilities of conducting combat operations in the event of sudden changes in the situation in the context of the use of modern equipment, including high-tech technologies.

One of the important trends in the defense development of the PRC is the further reduction in the number of the PLA. In addition to the reduction of 1 million people announced in 1985, China in 1997 announced its intention to implement a new reduction of this component by 500 thousand people by 2001 - from 3 million to 2.5 million people. The main reductions will be ground forces (by 19%) and, to a lesser extent, air and naval forces (by 11.6% and 11%, respectively). It is important to emphasize that this process is accompanied by measures to strengthen the People's Armed Police, the number of which is planned to increase from 1 million to 2 million by the year 2000.

China's nuclear strategy, which has committed itself not to be the first to use nuclear weapons, is reflected in the concept of a "limited nuclear retaliatory strike." It involves the construction of nuclear deterrent forces capable of creating the threat of causing unacceptable damage to force a potential enemy to abandon the use of nuclear weapons against China. This approach does not place emphasis on achieving nuclear parity with developed countries and is therefore rational from the point of view of saving material and financial resources.

The formation of views on the construction of general-purpose forces occurs on the basis of an analysis of major armed conflicts that took place in the current decade. The evolution of views in this area has led to the approval of the concepts of “quick response” and “limited war in the context of the use of high-tech technologies,” which involve the creation of relatively compact armed forces, equipped with modern equipment and weapons and capable of immediately carrying out combat missions in local conflicts. Accordingly, the Chinese armed forces have developed the mobile forces of the PLA and placed special emphasis on the development of various electronic systems for military purposes, including early detection and warning systems, communications, command and control of troops and weapons, and electronic warfare systems.

According to Chinese statistics, China's defense spending in 2000 amounted to about $10 billion and is one of the lowest in the world. Their share in the gross national product of the PRC does not exceed 1.5% (1995) and tends to decrease: in 1999 this figure was 1.1%.

However, skeptics believe that the official data reflects only expenditures within the Ministry of Defense and does not take into account military allocations provided for in the budgets of other departments and institutions. In addition, some Western scholars believe that part of the cost of maintaining military garrisons, local troops and reserves is financed from provincial budgets, and not from the central budget. Taking this into account, they estimate China's real military expenditures as exceeding official ones. For example, the Japanese claim that actual defense spending in China in 199 amounted to about $30 billion.

Be that as it may, it is quite obvious that, taking into account the objective need to modernize the defense complex, the foundations of which were formed in the 50-60s, the huge population of the country (more than 1.2 billion people), the immense area of ​​​​the territory and the length of land and sea ​​borders, China's military spending does not exceed the level corresponding to the principle of defense sufficiency. By comparison, in 2000, Japan's military spending was about 48; Great Britain - 38; Germany - 40; France - 47; USA - 290 billion dollars. This is who needs to take care of reducing their militaristic appetites!

The construction of the Chinese army in the 21st century will most likely be influenced by a number of external and internal factors, which generally have a restraining effect on the financing of military expenditures.

External factors are characterized by the normalization of China’s relations with neighboring countries and the world’s major powers. A special place among them is occupied by the dynamically developing Russian-Chinese relations of equal partnership aimed at strategic interaction in the 21st century. The growing integration of China into the world economy is acquiring serious significance here as one of the necessary conditions for successful economic construction in this country.

Among the internal factors, one should highlight the priority attention of the PRC leadership to ensuring internal political stability in the state and solving complex socio-economic problems in the context of a shortage of natural resources and certain demographic and environmental tensions.

China’s significant successes in the economic, political, social and other spheres, in addition to the obvious dividends, brought it an unforeseen threat, namely, it gave rise to fears in the world, and in our country, related to China’s alleged departure from its commitment to peace and good neighborliness. As a result of a misunderstanding or deliberate distortion of the military intentions of the PRC, the thesis about the “Chinese threat” emerged, periodically inflated in both Western and Russian media.

China deeply regrets that publications appear abroad indicating a misunderstanding of Chinese foreign policy and defense development. Their essence boils down to the following accusations:

1) after the reduction of Russian and American troops in the Asia-Pacific region (APR), China is trying to occupy the resulting power vacuum;

2) China is going to become a military and economic superpower in the region;

3) with its purchases of modern types of weapons from Russia, the PRC is responsible for the arms race in the region;

4) China is just waiting to flex its military muscles as quickly as possible and strike at neighboring countries, and even the United States.

Chinese experts refute these accusations, citing data on the number of weapons (including nuclear) of Russia and the United States in the region. In their opinion, they exceed China's weapons. Chinese scientists say that although Russia and the United States have reduced their weapons, these countries still have the most powerful armies in the Asia-Pacific region, and therefore there is no “power vacuum” here, since the United States and Russia have not left one.

Refuting another accusation, Chinese leaders and scientists argue that China does not intend to achieve hegemony and political dictatorship in the world, and even having become a sufficiently strong state, it will not strive for this.

As for the next accusation, Chinese experts believe that military modernization to meet the needs of modern defense is a huge problem for China, since the current state and level of the PLA is inferior in many respects to the armies of neighboring powers. In their opinion, China's military spending is less than the defense spending of even such a country as South Korea and such an economic entity as Taiwan.

There is a considerable amount of truth in these judgments. The second half of the 80s and 90s are characterized by the fact that internal threats worry China much more often and are sometimes more dangerous than external ones. For 20 years, China has focused inward on vital reforms. For the Chinese leadership, the primary problems are internal ones, which interfere with the normal functioning of the state and create serious threats to its existence. Social, economic, political, environmental problems have a huge potential for creating serious crisis situations, which makes the security and stability of the country vulnerable.

Consequently, creating additional external problems for oneself means distracting from internal ones, and this would contradict the logic of Chinese reforms.

The above gives reason to believe that at the beginning of the 21st century the Chinese army will not attack either Russia or another country. It is also highly doubtful that the PLA will ever forcibly invade its Taiwan province, despite statements by the PRC leadership at the end of the last century that they did not rule out violent action against Taiwan if its leadership (by the way, left the political scene after the recent political elections on the island) will, through its provocations, disrupt the process of unification of the Chinese nation.

It simply makes no sense for China to carry out armed aggression against Taiwan, since the latter is de facto already moving into the fold of mainland China. Taiwanese investments in the mainland now amount to tens of billions of dollars a year, and the business of leading Taiwanese corporations in the PRC is expanding at cruising speed and acquiring gigantic proportions. Does it make sense to chop down a hen that sits in the nest itself to lay golden eggs?

All activities of the PLA today are determined based on the principle of defense sufficiency. And for those “specialists” who, by painting China and its army as a bloody monster, are trying to intimidate people and prevent the inevitable strengthening of Russian-Chinese cooperation, I would like to remind you of a good Russian proverb: “The thief shouts loudest: “Stop the thief”!”

The Chinese army, or as the Chinese themselves call it, the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA), is the largest army in the world. The size of the Chinese army as of 2018 is estimated differently by many military experts, since in recent years the Chinese army has been shrinking, relying not on quantity, but on the quality of weapons and military equipment. If we take the average number, it turns out that there are from 2 to 2.3 million people in the Chinese army who are on active service.

The Chinese Army was founded on August 1, 1927, after the Nanchang Uprising. In those years it was called the “Red Army”. In the 30s of the 20th century, the Chinese army under the leadership of Chinese leader Mao Zedong was already a serious organization, being a significant force in the country. In 1949, when the People's Republic of China was proclaimed, the Chinese army became the regular army of this state.

Although Chinese military law provides for compulsory military service, in China there are so many people who want to join the regular army that in all the years of the existence of the regular army, conscription has never been carried out. Military service in China is very honorable, in addition, it was the only opportunity for peasants to escape poverty. Volunteers for the Chinese army are accepted up to 49 years of age.

Chinese Army in numbers

The PLA does not report directly to the party (as is believed in many European countries) or to the government. There are 2 special commissions to manage the army in China:

1. State Commission;
2. Party commission.

Most often, these commissions are completely identical in composition, so the commission that controls the Chinese army is mentioned in the singular.

To imagine the full power of the Chinese army, you need to look at the numbers:

• The minimum age to join the army in China is 19 years old;
• The number of military personnel is about 2.2 million;
• More than $215 billion is allocated to China's military each year.

Although China's weapons are mostly a legacy of the USSR or copies of Soviet models, the modernization of the Chinese army in recent years has been very rapid. New models of weapons are appearing that are not inferior to their world counterparts. If modernization continues at this pace, then in 10 years the weapons of the Chinese army will not be inferior to the weapons of European armies, and in 15 years they can be comparable in power to the American army.

History of the emergence of the Chinese army

The history of the Chinese army began on August 1, 1927. It was in this year that the famous revolutionary Zhou Enlai provoked other Chinese revolutionaries to rise up in arms against the “northern” government, which in those years was the legitimate Chinese government.

Having gathered 20 thousand fighters with weapons in their hands, the Chinese Communist Party marked the beginning of a long struggle of the Chinese people against external and internal enemies. July 11, 1933 is considered the date of birth of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army. This date is still considered one of the most revered in China; it is celebrated by the entire people of China.

Chinese Army today

The modern People's Liberation Army of China has been significantly reduced, although compared to other armies in the world, its composition still looks very impressive. If previously the main resource of the Chinese army were soldiers, and military equipment could be counted on one’s fingers, now the Chinese army includes all the components of modern armies:

• Ground troops;
• Air Force;
• Navy;
• Strategic Nuclear Forces;
• Special forces and many other types of troops, without which it is difficult to imagine a modern army.

Every year, new types of intercontinental missiles and modern nuclear weapons appear in the Chinese army's arsenal.

The nuclear forces of the Chinese army consist of land, sea and air components, which, according to official information, number about 200 nuclear carriers. Since each country keeps information about the state of its nuclear forces secret, you can be sure that China has many more nuclear delivery vehicles than it officially claims.

The Chinese Army's Strategic Missile Forces have 75 ground-based ballistic missile launchers as its "backbone". The strategic aviation of China's nuclear forces has 80 Hong-6 aircraft. The naval component is a nuclear submarine, which is armed with 12 launchers. Each of these installations can launch Julan-1 missiles. Although this type of missile was first deployed in 1986, it is still considered an effective weapon.

The Chinese ground forces have the following resources:

• 2.2 million military personnel;
• 89 divisions, of which 11 are tank divisions and 3 are quick reaction divisions;
• 24 armies, which include these divisions.

China's air force includes about 4 thousand aircraft, most of which are obsolete models received from the USSR as military aid or designed on their basis. Since 75% of the Chinese aircraft fleet are fighters designed to solve combat air defense missions. Chinese aircraft are largely unsuited to support ground forces, although the situation has begun to improve in recent years.

The Chinese Navy is armed with about 100 large warships, and about 600 combat helicopters and aircraft, which are classified as naval aviation. To protect coastal waters, the Chinese Navy has 1,000 patrol ships.

Although many believe that China does not have its own aircraft carriers, the Chinese Navy currently has 1 aircraft carrier, Liaoning, which was purchased from Ukraine for $25 million. The purchase of this unfinished aircraft carrier was quite interesting. Since the US was against China's purchase of the aircraft carrier, a Chinese firm purchased it as a floating amusement park. Upon arrival in China, the ship was completed and turned into a combat aircraft carrier, which, in principle, it originally was. By 2020, China threatens to build 4 more aircraft carriers based on the Liaoning (formerly called Varyag).

Modernization of the Chinese Army

Although China develops new weapons every year, China still lags far behind other developed countries in the field of precision weapons. The Chinese leadership believes that precision weapons are the future, so China is investing billions in the development of this type of weapon.

Today, most joint projects between China and Russia are working, for which various agreements have been concluded, covering the following nuances:

• Military technologies and development of new weapons that can be joint;
• The field of research into high technologies that can be used for both peaceful and military purposes;
• Cooperation in the space sector, including various joint programs;
• Cooperation in the field of communications.

In addition, China received a number of advantages, which include:

• Implementation of joint Chinese-Russian projects, especially military ones;
• Possibility of training and retraining of your employees in Russia;
• Joint modernization of outdated weapons and replacing them with newer models.

Such cooperation undoubtedly increases the speed of modernization of the Chinese army, although it is very disliked by the United States, which fears the possibility of strengthening the Chinese army. Recent years have been marked by an ever-increasing number of contracts between China and Russia related to China’s acquisition of various types of military equipment. The most significant are:

• License for production of SU-27 fighters in China;
• Contract for the repair of Chinese submarines at Russian repair docks.

If we analyze the development of China's defense complex over the past 10 years, it becomes clear that over these years China has not only stepped far forward in terms of the country's economic development, but also in terms of army modernization.

Modern priorities in the field of defense construction in China

Since in recent years China has completely changed its military doctrine, which is now not related to the country’s preparation for a global war, the priorities in the development of the Chinese army have also changed. Since China now believes that a world war is now unlikely, there are massive cuts in the army. At the same time, the Chinese army is rapidly modernizing, and the amount of funds allocated annually to the army is so large that there is no need to talk about the loss of power of the Chinese army.

At the same time, the aggressive policy of the United States is forcing China to rapidly modernize its army, since conversations in the world political arena are still conducted from a position of strength. That is why China’s new military doctrine speaks of transforming the Chinese army into a powerful structure, equipped with the latest technology. An army of this type must be able not only to effectively defend its borders, but also to respond with powerful blows to the enemy, who may be located in any part of the world. That is why China is now investing huge amounts of money in the development and modernization of intercontinental cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

This position is not related to China’s aggressiveness, simply because in the last century, a huge but technically backward country was in a semi-colonial dependence on Western countries, which for decades robbed the Chinese people. This is why China is cooperating with Russia, which has been actively helping it since Soviet times.

China's entire nuclear policy can fit into the concept of a “limited retaliatory nuclear strike,” and the key word here is “retaliatory.” Although this policy presupposes the presence of a powerful nuclear potential, it should only serve as a deterrent for those countries that intend to use nuclear weapons against China. This is not at all like the nuclear arms race that existed between the USSR and the USA, so the Chinese nuclear program does not require huge material costs.

Over the past decade, China has abandoned its aimless military expansion. After conducting many analyzes of global military conflicts that have occurred over the past 10-20 years, Chinese military experts have concluded that modern troops must support the concept of rapid response. Moreover, these groups can be quite compact, but their weapons must meet all modern high-tech parameters. It is science that should drive the modern development of the army. A modern soldier is not cannon fodder, but a versatile trained specialist who knows how to handle the latest military equipment.

Mobile rapid response teams must, within a few hours, find themselves at the point of a local conflict, which they must quickly neutralize. In accordance with this concept, the Chinese armed forces are developing mobile forces, trying to equip them with various electronics that are capable of performing the following tasks:

• Long-range warning systems;
• Early detection systems;
• Communication systems;
• Remote control systems for weapons and troops;
• The latest electronic warfare equipment.

Since China has made tremendous strides in the development of electronics in recent years, the military sector is also developing very dynamically.

Financing the Chinese army

Although spending on the PRC army is in second place in world statistics, second only to the United States, as a percentage, the $200 billion allocated annually for defense amounts to only 1.5-1.9% of the country’s GDP. Just 10 years ago this percentage was 55 billion, and 20 years ago it was only 10 billion. Since China's GDP is growing every year, we can expect increased funding for the Chinese army in the future.

Representatives of many countries that are quite wary of China (especially the United States) believe that the official statistics provided by the Chinese authorities do not correspond to the real state of affairs. For example, the Japanese, who have disliked China since the Second World War, claim that the real costs of the Chinese army are 3 times higher than the figures in official statistics.

Although the economic situation at the beginning of the 21st century contributed to a reduction in funding worldwide, events in the last 2 decades have shown that China has been able to increase its GDP by more than 20 times. Accordingly, funding for the army increased exponentially, since no one cut the percentage.

Due to the fact that modern China trades with almost all countries of the world, the diplomatic relations of this country with all have gradually normalized. Modern China has especially friendly relations with Russia. These relationships are formed on the terms of an equal partnership. It is worth noting that friendly Russian-Chinese relations are of great concern to the United States of America, which wants to be a leader on the world stage. The United States cannot help but be concerned about China's integration into the global economy, so it would like to have leverage over China from a position of strength. America is well aware that if Russia and China unite against them, they are unlikely to win, even on the economic battlefield.

If you look at China's domestic politics, you can see China's enormous attention to the country's internal problems. The standard of living in China is growing at a rapid pace; many Chinese now live in a way that only a select few could afford 20 years ago.

Should the world wait for the “Chinese threat”?

Since any success of any country gives rise to envy and suspicion, China also did not escape this fate. As a result of China's rapid development over the past 20 years, it has begun to be perceived by some politicians in different countries as a possible aggressor. The yellow press around the world picked up these rumors, and now many ordinary people expect aggressive actions from China against their countries. This hysteria has reached the point that even in Russia, which has been China’s partner in various fields for many years, many consider the Chinese their enemies.

The Chinese authorities express deep regret that many world countries treat China as a possible aggressor. The reason for these accusations lies in a misunderstanding of Chinese foreign policy. Proponents of the “Chinese threat” theory accuse China of the following:

• After the US and Russian navies reduced the number of warships in the Asia-Pacific region, China rushed to fill the vacancy to become the most significant military power in the region;
• China dreams of the idea of ​​world domination, so it devotes all its efforts to absorbing world markets and building up military power;
• Since China is purchasing huge amounts of modern weapons from Russia, this is causing a real arms race in the region. It has gotten to the point where some military experts directly blame China for North Korea acquiring its own nuclear weapons;
• The modernization of the Chinese army is carried out for only one purpose - to strike at any country, perhaps even at the United States.

Chinese military experts indignantly deny these accusations. Regarding the leadership of the Chinese fleet in the Asia-Pacific region, Chinese experts cite a number of dry figures that indicate that although Russia and the United States have reduced their forces in this region, the fleet of any of these countries is significantly superior to the Chinese in its power.

Regarding the Chinese idea of ​​world domination, the rapid growth of the Chinese economy should not be seen as an attempt to establish world domination. The fact that China is buying up enterprises around the world is a common practice of global business that strives for development.

As for the global modernization of the Chinese army, the Chinese authorities say that this process places a heavy burden on the shoulders of the Chinese economy. The Chinese say that they would gladly abandon this process, but the composition of the Chinese People's Liberation Army is seriously inferior to the armies of other countries. That is why modernization is a necessary process.

There is some truth in the assurances of Chinese experts and authorities. Indeed, in modern China there are many reforms that are aimed at the economic development of the state. If China has to focus on external problems, this will inevitably lead to problems within the country. It is unlikely that China will want to create unnecessary problems for itself when its government is focused on carrying out economic reforms.

The United States constantly claims that China will begin military aggression from Taiwan, which they have long wanted to seize. If we consider the relations between China and Taiwan from an economic point of view, we can see that these two states have serious economic relations. The annual turnover between the two countries is quite significant, so it makes no sense for China to lose huge profits by attacking Taiwan.

Due to the fact that China is blamed most of all by the United States, portraying it as a real beast that is just waiting for the moment to attack, one thing can be understood: America does not need another superpower on the world stage. Although for the United States “the train has already left”, the Chinese army is confidently moving towards leadership positions in the world rankings.

Since the late 80s. China has begun reforming its armed forces, which are the largest in the world. In the course of reforming the armed forces (AF) of the PRC, which is designed for the long term, it is planned to reduce them while simultaneously equipping them with weapons and military equipment. The strategy put forward by Jiang Zemin in 2001 for the development of defense potential and modernization of China's armed forces in the future until the middle of the 21st century involves completing modernization and reaching the advanced level of the armed forces of developed countries.

Currently, the Chinese armed forces operate a system of compulsory and voluntary service, being in the people's militia and serving in the reserve. The period of compulsory military service has been reduced to two years in all branches of the armed forces. Long-term service, which previously lasted 8–12 years, was abolished, and contract service was introduced for a period of no less than three and no more than 30 years.

According to the National Defense Law of the People's Republic of China adopted in March 1997, the “triple system” of the Chinese armed forces consists of:

– PLA (strategic and general purpose forces) – about 3 million people;

– NVM (people's armed militia) – about 1.5 million people;

– mobilization resources – over 361.3 million people, including about 198.4 million people fit for military service.

Strategic forces include strategic offensive and strategic defensive forces. The nuclear strategy of China, which has committed itself not to be the first to use nuclear weapons, is reflected in the concept of a “limited retaliatory nuclear strike,” which involves the construction of nuclear deterrent forces limited in combat strength, capable of creating the threat of inflicting unacceptable damage on a potential enemy to force the latter to abandon the use of nuclear weapons against China. This approach does not place emphasis on achieving nuclear priority in relation to developed countries and is therefore rational from the point of view of saving material and financial resources.

Strategic nuclear forces include ground, air and sea components and have a total of about 212 nuclear weapons carriers, they are supported by a personnel totaling 100 thousand people. They are based on the Strategic Missile Forces, which are armed with 75 ground-based ballistic missile launchers. Strategic aviation has 80 obsolete Hun-6 aircraft (created on the basis of the Tu-16). The naval component includes a nuclear-powered missile submarine with 12 missile launchers, the Julan-1. At the same time, the Chinese leadership has chosen to increase the combat capabilities of ground-based strategic weapons as the leading direction. The PRC has completed the development of a mobile missile system with a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with a firing range of about 8 thousand km.

China's Strategic Missile Force (SRF) is a tool of the Supreme High Command. The right to make decisions on their combat use belongs to the Central Military Council of the PRC. This body resolves issues related to the construction of strategic missile forces, determines their composition and grouping. According to the views of the Chinese military-political leadership, SRVs are intended to destroy objects that form the basis of the enemy’s military and economic potential, large groups of his troops, disrupt state and military control, and disorganize the work of the rear. Today, only the Vietnamese People's Republic of China meet the highest world-class requirements.

The SRV consists of missile troops and special forces. The missile forces are designed to carry out combat missions of delivering nuclear strikes against enemy targets and groups of troops. The missile forces, in accordance with the nature of the tasks being solved, include two components - strategic and operational-tactical. The strategic component is a means of the Supreme High Command and is intended to solve strategic problems. In peacetime, the operational-tactical component is under the leadership of the commander of the Vietnamese Republic; in wartime, it can be transferred to the operational subordination of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in the theater of military operations. The missile forces include formations armed with missile systems of intercontinental ballistic missiles (20 ICBMs with nuclear warheads), medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) and operational-tactical missiles (OTR).

Special troops are designed to perform combat, technical and logistics support tasks. They are divided into formations that perform operational (communications, engineering, chemical, topographic, geodetic, meteorological), technical (missile, nuclear, technical) and logistical (transport, economic, medical) support tasks.

Organizationally, the Vietnamese military forces consist of missile bases, individual missile regiments, training centers, as well as centrally subordinate units (see Table 1).

The front may include 1 missile brigade armed with the Dongfeng-13 type OTR or 2 RBRs, one of which will be equipped with the Dongfeng-11 type OTR. The missile brigade consists of 4 missile divisions, each division has 4 launch batteries of 1 launcher (4 missiles each). Total in the brigade: PU OTR - 16; missiles with warheads in conventional configuration – 64.

Table 1

Deployment and armament of strategic missile forces

The army may have 1 missile brigade armed with the Dongfeng-11 type OTR. It consists of 3 missile divisions, each with 4 launch batteries of 1 launcher (4 missiles each). Total in the brigade: PU OTR - 12; missiles - 48.

table 2

Types of weapons adopted in the Strategic Missile Forces

General purpose forces include Rapid Reaction Force (RRF) And main forces.

The RRF are a mobile part of the Armed Forces and are designed to protect the interests of the state along the entire period of China’s borders during armed conflicts and local wars, as well as suppress mass anti-government protests within the country. The RSF is the most combat-ready part of the Armed Forces. The formations and units included in their composition are deployed in close proximity to areas of probable armed conflicts, in strategically important transport hubs and are designed to repel a surprise enemy attack, participate in border conflicts and local wars, as well as solve combat and other tasks in emergency conditions (when natural disasters, mass unrest within the country).

The structure of the RRF consists of maneuver forces, riot control forces, duty forces of directions, duty forces of districts, and experimental troops.

The maneuver forces are at the disposal of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China and are intended for operational use throughout the country. They include: 3 combined arms divisions, an airborne brigade, a marine brigade, 9 combat aviation regiments, 2 helicopter regiments, 6 brigades, 2 combat boat divisions.

The duty forces of the directions are also at the disposal of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China and are intended to solve sudden combat missions in the most conflict-prone sections of the state border of the People's Republic of China. Depending on the importance and operational capacity of the areas, the combat strength of the duty forces can number from one to six divisions, up to 11 combat aviation regiments and seven divisions of warships and boats. Currently, formations and units of the RRF are deployed in the southeastern (Taiwanese), southern sea, Vietnamese and Indian directions.

The duty forces of military districts are subordinate to the commanders of large military districts and are intended for operational use on a district scale. Each of them has been allocated one combined arms division. If necessary, the duty forces of the districts can be involved in solving problems in other regions of the country.

To prevent and suppress public unrest, riot suppression forces are intended in cooperation with public security agencies and the People's Armed Militia (PAM). They include units of field and local troops.

The experimental troops are designed to test variants of the combat composition of maneuver forces and the means of strengthening them, as well as issues of managing groupings of troops during local war operations. They include tank and mechanized formations with the greatest combat capabilities.

RRF formations and units are currently staffed by 85–90% personnel, 85–95% combat equipment and weapons (battle tanks, armored personnel carriers, engineering and automotive equipment, ferry vehicles - 85%, PA guns, MLRS and M launchers - 95%). They are constantly on high alert. During their operational and combat training, the main focus is on practicing offensive and defensive actions in armed conflicts using modern weapons, as well as long-distance marches and transfers by rail (air) transport.

The main forces (ground forces, air force, navy) include all other formations and are designed to solve problems during a local or global war.

The ground forces are the most numerous branch of China's armed forces - 1.7 million people (about 75% of the total strength of the PLA), 7 military regions, 28 provincial military regions, 4 garrison commands. The ground forces include regular (field troops, including local) and reserves. The Chinese command of the ground forces assigns the main role in the defeat of enemy force groups, the seizure and retention of territory.

Structurally, the ground forces are divided into:

– by purpose – for field and local troops;

- according to combat properties - by type of troops and special troops;

– according to the combat strength and scale of the tasks being solved – for formations, formations, units and subunits;

- according to the level of staffing - combat-ready and reserve.

Regular troops include 21 combined arms armies (44 infantry, 2 mechanized, 9 tank, 7 artillery divisions), 12 tank, 13 infantry, 22 motorized infantry and 20 artillery brigades, 7 helicopter regiments, 3 airborne divisions (combined into the airborne corps ), 5 separate infantry divisions, separate tank and 2 infantry brigades, separate artillery division, 34 separate artillery brigades, 4 anti-aircraft artillery brigades.

Field troops form the basis of the Army and are intended to conduct offensive and defensive combat operations both on their territory and beyond. Organizationally, the field troops are consolidated into combined arms armies.

Regional forces (local troops) are units of the PLA performing garrison service. Heavy artillery systems are in service, and parts of regional forces are deployed along the border and coast, covering the directions of a possible attack. Local troops (regional forces) consist of 12 infantry divisions, 1 mountain infantry and 4 infantry brigades, 87 infantry battalions, 50 engineer regiments, 50 signal regiments and 21 battalions. Local troops solve combat and other tasks within their administrative units (provinces, districts, districts). In wartime, local force formations will interact with PLA operational formations on the flanks, in the depths of their defenses and behind enemy lines. If necessary, they can be transferred to the staff of field troops and included in the composition of combined arms formations and formations of field troops.

The reserve is 1 million people, and this is: 50 divisions (infantry, artillery, anti-aircraft missile), 100 separate regiments (infantry and artillery).

According to the new military doctrine, army formations were enlarged. Now each army with a total strength of 46,300 people includes 4 motorized rifle divisions, infantry, tank, artillery formations, air defense units, transport and front-line aviation.

Combined-arms armies are the basis of the Armed Forces and are intended to conduct combat operations to protect the country as a whole. Local troops must protect specific areas, and also, together with combined arms armies and people's militia, strike at the invading enemy. Due to a shortage of weapons, army formations remain predominantly infantry. 12 tank divisions, each consisting of 3 regiments with 240 tanks, are not enough to adequately support motorized rifle units. Artillery formations have adopted towed artillery guns, howitzers mounted on multiple launch rocket system platform trucks.

In the 1980s Self-propelled artillery mounts entered service with the PLA. But the military leadership decided to replace them with rocket artillery systems as a cheaper alternative. PLA engineering units are provided with repair and recovery equipment, pontoon equipment, tracked and wheeled tractors. In 1979, an anti-tank missile launcher entered service. The general provision of sapper (mining and demining systems) equipment remains insufficient.

Currently, the PLA is armed with the T-69 main battle tank, an improved version of the T-59 tank, based on the Soviet T-54 tank. During the modernization, the armor was strengthened, a tank gun stabilizer, a fire control system, and a 105-mm smoothbore gun were installed. In the 1980s The Western press mentioned the creation of the T-80 tank. It is armed with a new engine, 105 mm cannon and fire control systems.

Special troops are designed to carry out missions to support combat operations and the daily activities of ground forces. They include formations and units: reconnaissance troops, communications troops, engineering troops, electronic warfare forces, chemical troops, and automobile troops.

Based on their combat strength and the scale of the tasks they perform, the ground forces are divided into formations, units, formations, and subunits.

The formations, according to the classification adopted by the PLA, include: front (highest or operational-strategic wartime formation), combined arms army (operational formation), airborne corps (lower or operational-tactical formation).

The main formations of the PLA field forces are: divisions (infantry, motorized infantry, mechanized, tank), brigades (mountain infantry, tank, artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, airborne, pontoon-bridge, engineer and special purpose).

Formations (units) of local troops include infantry divisions, brigades (regiments), including covering the state border and covering the coast.

Combat-ready formations and units of the PLA ground forces, depending on the number of personnel, are divided into formations of types A and B.

In formations and units of type A in peacetime, the presence of military personnel reaches 85–90% of the regular strength, and in type B formations - at least 30% (command and technical personnel only). Military equipment and weapons (at least 80–95% complete) are stored in short-term or long-term storage in military vehicle fleets, and supernumerary (peacetime) small arms and communications equipment are in unit warehouses.

Reserve formations (50 infantry divisions, 100 separate regiments) are maintained in peacetime on a special staff as an organizational and material base for the rapid mobilization deployment of the Armed Forces. They have a cadre of commanding and enlisted personnel on active duty (200–250 people, including 100–120 officers), as well as stored stocks of weapons, military equipment and materiel.

Table 3

Weapons and military equipment of the ground forces

The Chinese Air Force (400 thousand people) is a branch of the armed forces designed for the country's air defense, conducting combat operations together with the strategic missile forces, ground forces and naval forces, as well as for performing certain independent tasks.

Currently, the aircraft fleet is being updated by modernizing older types of aircraft, such as Jian-7 (Mig-21) and Jian-8, and introducing new equipment into service, including Su-27 fighters, Su-30, Jian-P, Il-76 transport aircraft, Hun-6 (Tu-16) tanker aircraft, air-to-ground cruise missiles, air- and space-based early warning systems. The Chinese Air Force is armed with about 4.5 thousand combat aircraft (up to 500–600 units can be carriers of nuclear weapons), of which more than 3 thousand are fighters, and about 200 bombers. The aircraft and helicopter fleet is equipped with machines mainly made in Russia and China - Tu-16, Il-28, MiG-19, MiG-21, Su-27, Il-76, An-2, An-24 or created based on them.

The PLA Air Force includes aviation, anti-aircraft missile forces, anti-aircraft artillery and radio engineering troops, as well as special forces units.

Air Force aviation is divided into bomber, reconnaissance, attack, military transport, and fighter aircraft based on its purpose, methods of combat use, flight performance characteristics and armament of aircraft.

Organizationally, the Air Force is consolidated into operational and operational-tactical formations, as well as formations and units.

The operational formations of the Air Force are the Air Forces of military districts, which are intended for air defense of troop groups and the most important objects located on the territory of the district, air support for ground forces and naval forces, and if they include strike aircraft, for hitting important objects in the operational and nearby areas. strategic depth and other tasks.

The air forces of military districts are operationally subordinate to the commanders of the corresponding military districts.

Table 4

Types of weapons adopted by the Air Force

The operational-tactical formations of the Air Force are Air Force corps, which are intended for air defense of certain zones and, to a limited extent, for air support of ground forces and naval forces. Air Force corps organizationally consist of formations and individual units of fighter aircraft and ground air defense forces. The number of air defense forces is 210 thousand people, they are armed with 100 surface-to-air missiles and over 16 thousand anti-aircraft guns, early warning systems - air defense units of the Air Force are consolidated into 22 regiments.

The Air Force formations are: air divisions (bomber, attack, fighter, transport), each Air Force division numbering 17 thousand people, consists of three regiments. Each regiment consists of three squadrons, each squadron containing three or four aircraft; brigades (anti-aircraft missile, anti-aircraft missile and artillery).

Air Force units include: regiments (aviation, anti-aircraft artillery and radio engineering), airfield technical bases.

The Chinese naval forces make up no more than 12% of the entire PLA (about 250 thousand people, including more than 40 thousand conscripts), they are the third largest naval force in the world.

The command structure of the Navy consists of the Naval Headquarters (Beijing) and the headquarters of the Northern Fleet (Qingdao), Eastern (Shanghai) and Southern (Zhanjiang). The Navy Headquarters is subordinate to the PLA General Staff. The fleet has its own air defense - numbering 34 thousand people, coast guard detachments - 38 thousand people, naval corps - 56.5 thousand people. The Chinese Navy is designed to defend the coast from enemy attacks from the sea, prevent amphibious landings, protect coastal communications, and also ensure the national interests of the PRC at sea independently or jointly with other types of armed forces.

The naval forces have 125 warships of the main classes, 608 combat aircraft and 32 naval aviation helicopters. To protect the coast, there are a large number of small ships and boats capable of operating in the coastal zone. The PRC coastline is protected by more than 100 Romeo- and Whiskey-class diesel submarines with limited operational duty time. Within this protective ring and beyond the range of Navy aircraft are destroyers and frigates, armed with Styx-class anti-ship missiles and 130mm guns. If the ring of destroyers and frigates breaks through, the enemy will be attacked by more than 900 high-speed ships. Stormy weather reduces the effectiveness of their use and air support.

The coast is covered by coast guard detachments armed with the Haiyin-2 and Haiyin-4 anti-ship missile systems and anti-ship artillery.

Navy in the mid-1980s. moved from the previous strategy of “coastal defense” to a strategy of “defense in coastal waters”. However, an attempt to implement a new strategy, which required updating the ship's personnel (including the acquisition in Russia of 4 Sovremenny-class destroyers, 12 submarines and other equipment and weapons), due to a lack of funds led to an imbalance between the increased capabilities of the main forces and support means: the PLA Navy still does not have a sufficiently powerful anti-submarine defense potential, and surface ships are vulnerable to air attacks from aircraft and anti-ship missiles. The Chinese Navy does not yet have aircraft-carrying cruisers.

Structurally, the Navy consists of the fleet (submarine and surface forces), aviation (26 thousand people), marine corps (about 10 thousand people) and coast guard troops (28 thousand people).

Organizationally, the Navy is consolidated into the highest operational (operational-strategic), main operational and operational-tactical formations, as well as formations and units.

The highest operational (operational-strategic) formations of the Navy are fleets, which are designed to perform operational-strategic and operational tasks in their assigned operational zones.

Table 5

Types of weapons accepted in the Navy

The main operational formation of the Navy, according to the PLA command, is an operational squadron created in wartime to conduct combat operations in areas of the naval theater of operations remote from their bases. A squadron may include several brigades, separate divisions of surface ships and submarines of various classes, as well as support vessels.

The operational-tactical formation of the Navy is the naval base. It is designed to maintain a favorable operational regime in its assigned operational zone, ensure deployment, return fleet forces to their home bases and restore their combat effectiveness, protect shipping and base fleet forces.

The formations of the Chinese Navy are naval areas, brigades of submarines, surface ships and combat boats, aviation divisions, and a marine brigade.

Naval units include divisions of warships and boats, separate air regiments, coastal missile, coastal artillery, anti-aircraft artillery regiments (separate divisions), and radio engineering regiments.

The People's Armed Militia (PAM) consists of formations, units and divisions of three branches of the military: internal security, border guard and special troops (fire and forestry, production and construction units). The NVM is a paramilitary formation, the personnel of which are guided by general military regulations and instructions, and have the same rights and allowance standards as the army. Number of people: 1.5 million people. Police units are entrusted with the functions of ensuring internal security and public order.

The People's Militia (NO) is a mass paramilitary organization and is divided into “personnel” and “general” - 36.5 million people. In peacetime, the people's militia performs tasks to maintain public order, and in wartime - defensive tasks and various supporting functions.

An assessment of the potential of China's armed forces gives reason to believe that the Chinese army will not attack either Russia or another country. All activities of the PLA today are determined based on the principle of defense sufficiency, which guarantees reliable protection of national interests.

Galenovich Yu.M. Orders of Jiang Zemin (Principles of foreign and defense policy of modern China). M., 2003. P. 58.

Foreign military review. 2004. No. 1. P. 8.

Galenovich Yu.M. Decree. Op. P. 58; Military-political problems and the armed forces of China // Express-. M., 2004. No. 1. P. 63, 68.

Military-political problems... P. 63, 68.

The military power of China (Report of a special independent group commissioned by the US Council on Foreign Relations) // Central Research Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Vol. 03-025. S. 4.

Military-political problems and the armed forces of China // Express-. M., 2004. No. 1. P. 63, 68.

Foreign military review. 2004. No. 1. P. 65.

“Coastal waters” include the sea area 150–600 nautical miles from the coast, including the Yellow Sea, East China Sea and South China Sea.

Military-political problems... P. 63, 68.