Troop cuts highlight China's shifting power
China's unveiling of "carrier-killer" missiles and cuts in troop numbers yesterday underlined its shift towards naval strength amid growing Pacific rivalry with the US, analysts said.
More than a dozen anti-ship ballistic missiles capable of travelling at 10 times the speed of sound were shown at a massive military parade in Beijing, with state television calling them a "trump card" in potential conflicts and "one of China's key weapons in asymmetric warfare".
For a fraction of the cost of an aircraft carrier the missile threatens to alter the balance of power in the Pacific.
The land-based DF-21D intermediate-range missile is said to be equipped with onboard terminal guidance systems that give it the unprecedented ability to attack a moving target, such as a carrier group at sea.
For decades, the United States' fleet of aircraft carriers has been a key component of its ability to project power around the world, and Andrew Erickson of the Washington-based Jamestown Foundation has described the DF-21D as a "Frankenweapon" that is "potentially unpredictable and disruptive".
The missile "serve as a deterrent which requires rivals in the region to think twice about deploying aircraft carrier groups against China," James Char, an analyst at Singapore's Nanyang University told AFP.
The technology is untested but it underlines "the growing importance of China's naval forces" as Beijing seeks to project its power more widely in the air and on sea, he added.
Also on show in Beijing were longer-range weapons, prompting one commentator on Chinese state television to exclaim: "Look at this missile! It can hit Hawaii!"
China said in May that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) navy will put a greater emphasis on "open seas protection", rather than "offshore waters defence" alone.
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