Chinese navy veteran warns training, not hardware is key to military preparedness
- As China expands its military might a retired naval officer points out that size is not everything in modern warfare
- ‘It is the people who use these weapons that count’
When Wang Yunfei, a retired Chinese naval officer, was on vacation in Okinawa in January, he watched with a heavy heart as Japanese fighter jets and helicopters carried out a routine training exercise at Naha Airport.
The cloud was low and the sky was murky and overcast. “The cloud was barely 200 to 300 metres above ground and the jets immediately disappeared into the cloud after take-off,” Wang said.
“In China, [our military planes] would not have taken off [for training] if the cloud was lower than 400 metres above ground,” he explained.
“Such conditions are dangerous [for military aircraft to take off] but they were able to carry on training despite the weather.”
After a fourth sea trial, China’s Type 001A aircraft carrier may go into service within months
As China expands its military might with new aircraft carriers, advanced fighter jets and other world-class weaponry, questions have been raised about whether the People’s Liberation Army can compete with other advanced forces.