China conducts first test-flight of stealth plane

[scooterscot]

Where did you get those numbers? Are they out of date figures from wikipedia or something?

No they are not out of date, they are perfectly valid for the period 2004-2007, from wikipedia so it must be true

I also think that $78 bn will buy more in China than it would in USA due to living costs, local economy, etc.
e.g.

China 2.26m troops
USA 1.58m troops

Also, the telegraph claims that "almost 80 per cent of [chinese] officers are now graduates"

Labour in the US is cheap as chips, at the rate China is going pay shall be up on the US!

[configman]

I'm quite concerned at how much money China are piling into their military budget and the rate at which they're ramping up.

Am I alone in thinking they're actually up to something here?

Have a look around China's border and see what they are threatened with - North Korea, Russia, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Burma, Japan etc etc. For years China was the victim of invasions across these borders often with the wests involvement or support, all it wants to do is protect itself if needed. Japan and USA for many years abused China's lack of military power and strutted their stuff in the South China sea taking the michael but can't do so with such ease anymore or they will get chased out. The USA/UK pushed the Korean war into Chinese territory, India tried an invasion in the fifties, Russia was a threat most of last century, Japan had a go during the 2nd world war, and the Brits have a long history of attacking China. Only last year Al Queada said China was not immune. I think all China is saying is not again.

It amazes me how the west urges China to go in and sort out the North Koreans, but then complain when China builds up its military might.

[Alf W]

They'll use it twice and then the wing will snap off.

[RichardCranium]

They'll use it twice and then the wing will snap off.

But when you've got 19,999 more 'planes and another ¼ million pilots, and enough production capability to replace the whole lot every few weeks...

... but the wings won't snap off anyway because they steal industrial secrets as fast as they are saved to disk.

[sasguru]

Where did you get those numbers? Are they out of date figures from wikipedia or something?

Try this

China $78 bn

US $729 bn

Also some suggestions are that China is keeping a lot of it off the books and they're spending more like $150 bn

I also think that $78 bn will buy more in China than it would in USA due to living costs, local economy, etc.
e.g.

China 2.26m troops
USA 1.58m troops

Also, the telegraph claims that "almost 80 per cent of [chinese] officers are now graduates"

Well I would sleep easy if I were you. I don't think China is overly concerned with a declining, 2nd rate, mediocre island of the coast of Europe. We're hardly a threat to them economically, militarily or in any way I can think of, don't you think?

[AtW]

We're hardly a threat to them economically, militarily or in any way I can think of, don't you think?

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a threat to China so long as sasguru is on its side...