Military

Main articles: Military history of China before 1911 and People's Liberation Army

A PLAAF Chengdu J-10 fighter aircraft

The Lanzhou (DDG170), a Type 052C destroyer of the PLAN

With 2.3 million active troops, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the largest standing military force in the world, commanded by the Central Military Commission (CMC).^[246] The PLA consists of the Ground Force (PLAGF), the Navy (PLAN), the Air Force (PLAAF), and the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF). According to the Chinese government, China's military budget for 2014 totalled US$132 billion, constituting the world's second-largest military budget.^[22] However, many authorities – including SIPRI and the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense – argue that China does not report its real level of military spending, which is allegedly much higher than the official budget.^[22][247]
As a recognized nuclear weapons state, China is considered both a major regional military power and a potential military superpower.^[248] According to a 2013 report by the US Department of Defense, China fields between 50 and 75 nuclear ICBMs, along with a number of SRBMs.^[21] However, compared with the other four UN Security Council Permanent Members, China has relatively limited power projection capabilities.^[249] To offset this, it has developed numerous power projection assets since the early 2000s – its first aircraft carrier entered service in 2012,^{[250][251][252]} and it maintains a substantial fleet of submarines, including several nuclear-powered attack and ballistic missile submarines.^[253] China has furthermore established a network of foreign military relationships along critical sea lanes.^[254]
China has made significant progress in modernising its air force in recent decades, purchasing Russian fighter jets such as the Sukhoi Su-30, and also manufacturing its own modern fighters, most notably the Chengdu J-10, J-20 and the Shenyang J-11, J-15, J-16, and J-31.^[250][255] China is furthermore engaged in developing an indigenous stealth aircraft and numerous combat drones.^{[256][257][258]} Air and Sea denial weaponry advances have increased the regional threat from the perspective of Japan as well as Washington.^[259][260] China has also updated its ground forces, replacing its ageing Soviet-derived tank inventory with numerous variants of the modern Type 99 tank, and upgrading its battlefield C3I and C4I systems to enhance its network-centric warfare capabilities.^[261] In addition, China has developed or acquired numerous advanced missile systems,^[262][263] including anti-satellite missiles,^[264] cruise missiles^[265] and submarine-launched nuclear ICBMs.^[266] According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's data, China became the world's third largest exporter of major arms in 2010–14, an increase of 143 per cent from the period 2005–09.^[267]