Beijing: China plans to transform its naval and air forces to project power further from its shores, China's Defence minister said a week before the nation puts on a massive military parade showcasing its strength.
The navy will expand to include blue-water capability as well as "relatively strong" coastal defence, and the air force will evolve from a purely defensive capability to include both defensive and offensive stances, said General Liang Guanglie.
China has long held a goal to develop an aircraft carrier, which would allow it to project military power far beyond its shores. Last winter, the Chinese navy deployed to waters off Somalia to protect commercial shipping from pirates.
"According to our strategic plan, the army will transform from regional defence to a mobile force deploying across our whole territory, the navy will have a relatively strong coastal defence ability to fight wars far out at sea, and the air force will shift from defending national territory to defensive and offensive capabilities," Liang said
China has boosted its international military cooperation and debuted a website and a white paper to show its transparency, but regional rivals including Japan still remain wary of the country's growing military strength.
"Now we have developed military-use satellites and advanced fighter aircraft in the air, newly designed tanks, cannons and missiles on land and advanced warships and submarines on the sea," Liang added.
"You can say that whatever the Western developed nations' militaries have, we basically have as well, and much of the equipment capability has reached the most advanced level," he added in an interview posted on the Defence Ministry's website late on Monday.
China's military now numbers 2.3 million, down from its peak at 6 million, Liang added. The Communist armies commanded about 5.5 million people in 1949, at the end of the civil war against the Nationalists or Kuomintang.
It plans to complete its mechanisation drive by 2020, and make progress on its information technology initiatives.
Liang defended China's battle-readiness, saying a campaign to improve the "informatisation" of the military and raise the quality of the officer corps meant the military was better able to defend China's sovereignty.
The Chinese military has been focused on gaining control of Taiwan, which has been ruled separately since 1949, and much of its military capability is directed towards the island.
Natural disaster mobilisation during severe flooding in 1998 and a devastating earthquake last year had helped the military's responsiveness and cohesion, he said.
The army will transform from a regionally based defence deployment to mobile deployment across China's territory as part of the military modernisation strategy, he added.
The Second Artillery Division, which is in charge of nuclear weapons, will also control some conventional missiles under the strategic plan, Liang said.
China holds a National Day parade in the Capital, Beijing, on October 1 showcasing its military strength.
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