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India was the fourth largest military spender globally in 2023 with an expenditure of USD 83.6 billion, behind the US, China and Russia, according to a report by an independent international think-tank. The report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shared on its website in April also said the "rise" in global military spending last year can be attributed "primarily to the ongoing war in Ukraine and escalating geopolitical tensions in Asia and Oceania and the Middle East". The military expenditure went up in all five geographical regions, with major spending increases recorded in Europe, Asia and Oceania and the Middle East, it said. The report comes amid ongoing conflicts in various parts of the world such as the ones involving Israel-Hamas, Iran-Israel, Russian-Ukraine besides volatility in the Red Sea region. "World military expenditure increased for the ninth consecutive year in 2023, reaching a total of USD 2443 billion. The 6.8 per cent increase in 2023 was the steepest year-on-year rise since 2009 and pushed global spending to the highest level SIPRI has ever recorded," according to the report. The <keyword id="21404979" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="world-military-burden" source="keywords">world military burden</keyword> -- defined as military spending as a percentage of global gross domestic product (GDP) -- increased to 2.3 per cent in 2023. Average military expenditure as a share of government expenditure rose by 0.4 percentage points to 6.9 per cent in 2023 and world military spending per person was the highest since 1990 at USD 306, it added. With military expenditure of USD 83.6 billion in 2023, India was the "fourth largest spender globally". Indian spending was up by 4.2 per cent from 2022 and by 44 per cent from 2014. The increase in India's military spending was "mainly a result of growing personnel and operations costs" which made up almost 80 per cent of the total military budget in 2023, the <keyword id="20911352" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="SIPRI-report" source="keywords">SIPRI report</keyword> claimed. "This aligns with the government's priority to strengthen the operational readiness of the armed forces amid ongoing tensions with China and Pakistan. In comparison, capital outlays to fund military procurement remained relatively stable at around 22 per cent of the budget in 2023," it said. A total of 75 per cent of these outlays went towards equipments produced domestically, which was the highest level ever and up from 68 per cent in the previous year. The continued shift towards domestic procurement reflects India's goal of becoming self-reliant in arms development and production, the think-tank said in its repot fact sheet shared on its website. The Indian Army has maintained that deployment of its troops and other elements along the LAC is "extremely robust" and "balanced". The eastern <keyword id="21271073" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ladakh-border-standoff" source="keywords">Ladakh border standoff</keyword> erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong Lake area. The ties between India and China nose-dived significantly following the clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades. SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Established in 1966, it provides data, analysis and recommendations based on open sources to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public. The Stockholm-based think-tank monitors developments in military expenditure worldwide and maintains the most comprehensive, consistent and extensive publicly available data source on military expenditure, according to its online portal. The US military spending was USD 916 billion in 2023, which was 2.3 per cent more than in 2022 and 9.9 per cent more than in 2014, the report said. The US remained by far the largest spender in the world, allocating 3.1 times more to the military than the second largest spender China. "The biggest percentage increase among all US military spending categories in 2023 was for 'research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&amp;E)". The Stockholm-based think-tank also said in its report that Ukraine was the "eighth largest spender" in 2023 after a spending surge of 51 per cent to reach USD 64.8 billion. This gave Ukraine "a military burden of 37 per cent and represented 58 per cent of total government spending". "Ukraine's military spending in 2023 was 59 per cent the size of Russia's. However, Ukraine also received at least USD 35 billion in military aid during the year, including USD 25.4 billion from the US. Combined, this aid and Ukraine's own military spending were equivalent to about 91 per cent of Russian spending," the report claimed. According to the report, Russia's military spending increased by 24 per cent to an estimated USD 109 billion in 2023. "China, the world's second largest military spender, allocated an estimated USD 296 billion to the military in 2023, an increase of 6 per cent from 2022. This was the 29th consecutive year-on-year rise in China's military expenditure. China accounted for half of total military spending across the Asia and Oceania region. Several of China's neighbours have linked their own spending increases to China's rising military expenditure," the Stockholm-based think-tank claimed in its report. In 2023, the 31 <keyword id="20763732" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NATO-members" source="keywords">NATO members</keyword> accounted for USD 1,341 billion, equal to 55 per cent of the world's military expenditure, the report said. 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India fourth largest military spender globally in 2023: SIPRI report

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Xi Jinping is in a struggle with China's military, purging senior commanders to reshape it.</li><li>He wants generals ready and willing to go to war, analysts told Business Insider.</li></ul>Xi Jinping is fighting with China's own military, seeking to purge commanders he sees as unwilling or unable to go to war, military analysts told Business Insider.The Chinese leader is "trying to gain control of the military, and I think that he is thinking that he needs officers who are prepared to actually fight," said Gordon Chang, a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute and author of "China Is Going to War.""There is a sense that many of China's general officers don't want to fight," according to Chang. "And so we really have a force led by an officer corps that is ambivalent about going to war."Since taking power in 2012, Xi has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/chinas-modernizing-military">overhauled China's military</a> by cutting deep into its personnel, seeking to improve military-civilian cooperation, and reshaping its structure, among other reforms.His efforts reached a crescendo on December 29, 2023, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/sweeping-chinese-military-purge-exposes-weakness-could-widen-2023-12-30/">when Xi dismissed nine senior officers in one stroke</a>.Since then, <a target="_blank" href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/China-s-military-purge-highlights-persistence-of-corruption">reports</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-06/us-intelligence-shows-flawed-china-missiles-led-xi-jinping-to-purge-military?leadSource=uverify%20wall">US intelligence</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/05/china/china-xi-military-purge-analysis-intl-hnk/index.html">have</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/sweeping-chinese-military-purge-exposes-weakness-could-widen-2023-12-30/">suggested</a> the decisions were to root out corruption — a motive <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-41670162">often cited</a> when Chinese officials are abruptly dismissed.However, to Chang, this theory misses the point."Because if that were the case, all of them would be sacked," he said.For him, Xi is likely purging officers who are reluctant to go to war.He cited Chinese Air Force General Liu Yazhou, who <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/20/not-all-in-chinas-military-view-taiwan-the-west-as-primary-threat">cautioned against an invasion of Taiwan</a> and received a suspended death sentence in February 2022, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.asianews.it/news-en/General-Liu-Yazhou,-an-admirer-of-Christianity,-sentenced-to-death-58238.html">per the AsiaNews agency</a>.BI also spoke to Joel Wuthnow, a senior research fellow in the Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs at the National Defense University in Washington, DC.He argued that rooting out corruption and readying China for war were aligned goals."The removals indicate that Xi should be concerned about the quality of people and equipment he has invested in over the last decade," he said.The nine senior commanders were involved in China's Rocket Force, which would have a crucial role in any military campaign, said Wuthnow."If that equipment malfunctions or can't be relied on, how confident can Xi and his colleagues be that the PLA will prevail?" Wuthnow asked.<h2>Xi is talking himself and China into a conflict</h2>China has been engaged in low-level hostilities with many of its near neighbors.There is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-acknowledges-deaths-in-indian-border-clash-for-first-time-2021-2?r=US&amp;IR=T">India in the disputed Himalayas</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-has-shifted-tactics-in-senkaku-islands-2014-10?r=US&amp;IR=T">Japan in the East China Sea</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/decaying-ship-stands-as-philippines-defense-against-china-sea-claims-2023-11?r=US&amp;IR=T">the Philippines in the South China Sea</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/xi-biden-china-going-take-over-taiwan-war-report-apec-2023-12?r=US&amp;IR=T">Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory</a>.China's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taiwan-threatens-to-forcefully-drive-away-chinese-fighters-2019-4?r=US&amp;IR=T">incursions</a> in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taiwan-38-chinese-planes-including-nuclear-capable-bombers-in-airspace-2021-10?r=US&amp;IR=T">Taiwan</a>'s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-flights-around-taiwan-effort-to-improve-asw-capability-2021-4?r=US&amp;IR=T">air</a>-<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pentagon-operating-cold-war-era-bombers-against-chinas-growing-might-2020-9?r=US&amp;IR=T">defense</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-pressure-on-taiwan-by-increasing-drone-flights-near-islands-2022-9?r=US&amp;IR=T">zone</a> over the last five years have prompted some <a target="_blank" href="https://breakingdefense.com/2022/10/navy-leader-cant-rule-out-chinese-invasion-of-taiwan-even-earlier-than-2027/">US Navy</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/us-air-force-general-predicts-war-china-2025-memo-rcna67967">Air Force</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://media.defense.gov/2023/Apr/24/2003205865/-1/-1/1/07-AMONSON%20&amp;%20EGLI_FEATURE%20IWD.PDF">officials</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2016/04/xis-purge-of-the-military-prepares-the-chinese-army.html">military</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/china-appoints-admiral-dong-jun-new-defence-minister-but-opacity-reigns/articleshow/106478692.cms?from=mdr">observers</a> to <a target="_blank" href="https://breakingdefense.com/2023/10/in-chinas-military-purge-final-outcomes-remain-to-be-seen/">predict</a> that China would invade Taiwan in the next few years.However, to Chang, it is impossible to determine where the big flare-up could come from."I don't think that we can say, 'Oh, it's Taiwan or whatever'," he said, despite the island occupying the most attention in Western deabtes about China's military intentions.He noted that Xi has been ramping up warlike rhetoric.In his New Year's address, Xi said China "will surely be reunified, and all Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be bound by a common sense of purpose and share in the glory of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," according to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mfa.gov.cn/eng/zxxx_662805/202312/t20231231_11215608.html#:~:text=Going%20forward%2C%20we%20have%20full,sustained%20the%20momentum%20of%20recovery.">official translation</a> of his speech.Xi drove the message home in a recent face-to-face meeting with Biden, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/china/xi-warned-biden-summit-beijing-will-reunify-taiwan-china-rcna130087">NBC News reported.</a> The network said Xi told Biden at the APEC summit in San Francisco in November 2023 that China intended to take control of Taiwan.It continued previous interactions on those lines — in November 2021, Xi <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/xi-warns-biden-us-is-playing-with-fire-taiwan-2021-11?r=US&amp;IR=T">warned</a> Biden that his administration was "playing with fire" and urged Biden not to encourage Taiwanese independence, calling it "dangerous."This is significant, Chang said, because it creates "markers" for Xi's political enemies; with such statements, he could be "talking himself and China into a war," he said.Wuthnow, however, believes Xi is now more cautious following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, having seen it destabilize Vladimir Putin's domestic position and fearing the same could happen to him."Russia has paid an enormous price for its misadventure, and China would as well. Moreover, a failed invasion would be worse for Xi politically than not trying at all," he said.<h2>A Chinese invasion could drag the US into WWIII</h2>All the conditions are in place for a third world war, Chang said: There is widespread conflict — war in Ukraine, insurgencies in Africa, Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza, and military activity in the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and Indian Ocean."Remember, in the 1930s, there were separate wars that merged into what we now call World War II," he said."The same dynamics exist today, and it's entirely possible, and some people can even argue that it's probable that these will merge into a global conflict," Chang said.A Chinese invasion in East Asia would drag Western countries into something larger, he predicted."I think that Xi Jinping is taking two pages out of Mao's Peasant Revolution playbook.""One of them was to encircle the cities from the countryside. And in this, I think that Xi Jinping views Ukraine, north Africa, Israel as the countryside, and the United States as the city," he said.

Xi Jinping is in a battle with China's own military, and the outcome could drag the US into WWIII

<ul class="summary-list"><li>SEAL Team 6 is reportedly readying for a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.</li><li>SEAL Team 6's small size and skillsets likely limit its role, though it would still have a part.</li></ul>Could SEAL Team 6 special operators help Taiwan fend off a Chinese invasion? That is what the elite special operations unit has been preparing for over a year, according to recent reporting from the<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ft.com/content/0a535bbd-767e-406a-8624-1af9cb7246f7"> Financial Times</a>.Increasingly self-assured, Beijing is undergoing an expansive military modernization program that seeks to build a military on par with that of the US to defend and pursue its national interests, a major one being Taiwan.China's fixation on Taiwan and stated willingness to use force to achieve its aims is a point of concern for the US. American military planners continue to work through war games to fend off a Chinese invasion of the island nation. In the last two decades of conflict, special operations forces played a leading role in how the US military fought. Naturally, many expect the special operations community to play a similarly large role in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-seal-team-six-preparing-china-invasion-of-taiwan-report-2024-9">conflict with China over Taiwan</a>.That expectation, however, may be a bit off the mark, a former SEAL shared.<h2 id="40eb678f-9c6b-4825-8f94-183af0d5e7c4">SEAL Team 6 in a fight over Taiwan</h2>"Besides some high-end maritime missions, I doubt DEVGRU would play a big role directly fighting off a Chinese invasion in Taiwan," a former Navy SEAL officer told Insider. "You don't use a scalpel for a job a hammer can do," he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of his ongoing work with the government, added.The Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), formerly known as SEAL Team 6, is the Navy's top-tier special operations outfit. Alongside the Army's Delta Force, DEVGRU is the go-to special missions unit for counterterrorism and hostage rescue operations anytime and anywhere. The unit famously rescued Maersk Alabama container ship captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates in 2009 and killed Osama bin Laden in 2011.<div type="image" title="Navy SEALs engaged in a clearing operation at a training facility." height="5504" width="8256" msid="114376203" hostid="261" sizebytes="7133278"></div>"People don't understand what tier one units are all about," said the former frogman, a term for Navy SEALs. "They achieve another level of proficiency in certain mission sets so that they can excel at those missions. They aren't intended to go after every mission available, especially if another SOF [special operations] unit is more suited for it."A large-scale invasion of Taiwan would mainly be a conventional fight. A unit like the Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, the premier light infantry special operations unit, would probably be much more useful in fighting back Chinese invasion forces on Taiwanese soil than a small group of SEAL Team 6 assaulters."However, DEVGRU would definitely play a role in a broader conflict with China. If we're talking about US troops fighting in Taiwan, then it means a decision to go to war with China over Taiwan. In a situation like that, DEVGRU would likely go after strategic targets to enable the Big Navy and the wider conventional military in their tasks," the former SEAL officer said.Strategic targets like air bases, ports, and anti-access, aerial denial (A2/AD) installations, which are designed to take out US carrier groups or repel air operations, would be at the top of the target deck for US special operations units. SEAL Team 6 and the Army's Delta Force would likely go after such targets to limit the ability of the Chinese military to wage war and support an invasion of Taiwan.<div type="image" title="A Navy SEAL during a nighttime dive. The operator's head is visible out of the water through night-vision imaging." height="916" width="1421" msid="114376198" hostid="261" sizebytes="42280"></div>The Chinese navy, particularly, would be a primary target as it would be Beijing's direct link to the invasion force on Taiwan. SEAL Team 6, alongside other SEAL units, could go after Chinese warships and logistics vessels in port for resupply and use stealthy maritime insertion techniques to place limpet mines on ships and sensory equipment in and around naval facilities.<h2 id="7735ae38-d40d-40a8-ac04-751980652a47">A small community</h2>Another reason why SEAL Team 6 would likely have a much more limited role in direct combat on Taiwan has to do with its size. Although official numbers are classified, it is believed that SEAL Team 6 has around 300 assaulters, with hundreds of military and civilian support personnel. As such, commanders will generally only use the unit for the most important missions.<div type="image" title="A Navy SEAL holding a service weapon during a training exercise." height="4655" width="6982" msid="114376200" hostid="261" sizebytes="699022"></div>The elite unit took a heavy hit 13 years ago when it lost 25 assaulters and direct support troops when the CH-47 Chinook they were flying on crashed after a direct hit by a Taliban fighter; in total, 38 US and Afghan troops were killed. The incident was the deadliest day in the history of US special operations and naval special warfare.SEAL Team 6 represents the cream of the crop of the SEAL community. It recruits solely from the SEAL Teams, so all of its assaulters are already<a target="_blank" href="https://www.sandboxx.us/news/the-navy-seal-teams-two-original-and-little-known-missions/">Navy SEALs</a>. The unit has four assault squadrons, divided by color: Blue, Red, Gold, and Silver. And the direct support personnel serving with the unit will often have passed, depending on their role, Green Team, SEAL Team 6's physically and technically rigorous selection process.

SEAL Team 6 is said to be training for a fight with China over Taiwan. Here's what it could do if Beijing invades.

India on Monday insisted on restoration of status quo ante of April and comprehensive disengagement of troops by China from all the friction points in eastern Ladakh to resolve the border standoff, government sources said, as the two countries held a seventh round of military talks. The Corps commander-level talks began at around 12 noon in Chushul on the Indian side of the <keyword id="49399" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Line-of-Actual-Control">Line of Actual Control</keyword> (LAC) in eastern Ladakh and continued beyond 8:30 PM, they said. As the border standoff entered the sixth month, an early resolution to the row appeared dim with close to 100,000 Indian and Chinese troops remaining deployed in the high-altitude region and showing readiness for a long-haul. There is no official word on the talks yet but sources said the agenda was to finalise a roadmap for disengagement of troops from all the friction points. The Indian delegation is led by Lt Gen Harinder Singh, the commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, and includes Naveen Srivastava, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA). It is learnt an official of the Chinese foreign ministry is also part of the Chinese delegation. The sources said India pressed for an early and complete disengagement of troops by China from all the friction points besides demanding immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April. The standoff began on May 5. The China Study Group (CSG) comprising Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and the three service chiefs on Friday finalised India's strategy for the military talks. The CSG is India's key policy making body on China. Ahead of the talks, sources said India will also strongly oppose any demand by China for withdrawal of Indian troops from several strategic heights on the southern bank of the Pangong lake to kick-start the disengagement process. During the sixth round of Corps commander talks on September 21, the Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA) insisted on withdrawal of troops by the Indian Army from several strategic heights in Mukhpari, Rezang La and Magar hill areas around the southern bank of Pangong lake. Indian troops had occupied the strategic heights after the PLA soldiers attempted to intimidate them in the southern bank of Pangong lake on the intervening night of August 29 and 30. India has been maintaining that the disengagement process has to start simultaneously at all the friction points. At the talks, the two sides were expected to further explore steps to maintain stability on the ground and avoid any action that may trigger fresh tension in the region where troops from the Indian army and the PLA will be facing difficult conditions in the next four months due to harsh winter, the sources said. Following the sixth round of military talks, the two sides announced a slew of decisions including not to send more troops to the frontline, refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground and avoid taking any actions that may further complicate matters. The military talks were held with a specific agenda of exploring ways to implement a five-point agreement reached between Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at a meeting in Moscow on September 10 on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) conclave. The pact included measures like quick disengagement of troops, avoiding action that could escalate tensions, adherence to all agreements and protocols on border management and steps to restore peace along the LAC. Days after the military talks, the two sides held diplomatic parleys under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs, but no concrete outcome emerged from the negotiations on September 30. After the diplomatic talks, the MEA said it was agreed that the next round of the meeting of senior commanders should be held at an early date so that both sides can work towards an early and complete disengagement of the troops along the LAC in accordance with the existing bilateral agreement and protocols. Naveen Srivastava, who has been leading the Indian side at the WMCC talks, also attended the military parleys on September 21 for the first time. It is Lt Gen Singh's last round of talks with the PLA in the current standoff as he is due to take charge as head of the prestigious Indian Military Academy(IMA) this week. His successor at the 14 Corps Lt Gen PGK Menon is also part of the Indian delegation. At the previous six rounds of military talks, the Indian side insisted on complete disengagement of Chinese troops at the earliest, and immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April. The situation in eastern Ladakh deteriorated following at least three attempts by the Chinese soldiers to "intimidate" Indian troops along the northern and southern bank of Pangong lake area between August 29 and September 8 where even shots were fired in the air for the first time at the LAC in 45 years. As tensions escalated further, the foreign ministers of India and China held talks in Moscow on September 10 where they reached a five-point agreement to defuse the situation in eastern Ladakh. The agreement was the basis for the sixth round of Corps commander-level talks. In the last three months, the Indian Army rushed tanks, heavy weaponry, ammunition, fuel, food and essential winter supplies to various treacherous and high-altitude areas of the region to maintain combat readiness through the harsh winter of around four months starting around mid-October. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/china-launches-earth-observation-satellite-amid-border-tensions-with-india/articleshow/78613147.cms">China launches Earth observation satellite amid border tensions with India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/massive-power-cut-reported-across-mumbai-discom-points-finger-at-tatas/articleshow/78613787.cms">Massive power cut across Mumbai due to grid failure —electricity restored in certain areas</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/sitharaman-offers-states-12000-crore-interest-free-for-the-next-50-years-if-they-can-spend-it-on-capital-projects-by-march-2021/articleshow/78616741.cms">Sitharaman offers states ₹12,000 crore interest-free for the next 50 years if they can spend it on capital projects by March 2021</a>

India insists China disengages from all friction points along LAC at 7th round of military talks

<ul class="summary-list"><li>China's air force continues to improve and expand its fleet of J-20 stealth fighter jets.</li><li>The J-20 is China's first stealth jet and a growing part of an already sizable aviation force.</li></ul>Twelve years after the J-20 was unveiled and six and half years since it entered service, the Chinese military continues to improve its first stealth fighter jet, adding more advanced features as it expands the fleet and the rest of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-air-force-navy-combat-aircraft-catching-up-to-west-2021-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">its already sizable aviation force</a>.China's air force and navy now make up the largest aviation force in the region and the third largest in the world. They have a total of 1,900 fighter jets, including J-20s that have been "operationally fielded" by China's air force, according to the US Defense Department.Chinese officials have said the J-20 is being <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-says-j20-stealth-jet-is-flying-farther-and-farther-2022-10">used by all five</a> of their military's theater commands, including <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3207293/china-outlines-j-20-stealth-fighters-role-intercepting-foreign-warplanes-releasing-footage-may-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to intercept</a> US jets over the East China Sea, but it is still not "a dominant aircraft" compared to the US's F-22 and F-35 stealth jets, according to US Air Force officials who track China's air force closely.Like China's other hardware, however, US officials say the J-20 is suited for what Beijing considers its near-term needs — keeping the US military from intervening in a war in the Western Pacific, especially around Taiwan.<h2>'High-quality results'</h2><div type="image" title="China J-20 stealth fighter jet" height="1333" width="2000" msid="104801194" hostid="261" sizebytes="105900"></div>Assessments of <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/air/2022/11/08/display-at-zhuhai-airshow-reveals-info-on-chinas-j-20-j-16-inventory/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">serial numbers</a> on <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2023/08/chinas-j-20-gets-another-upgrade/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">J-20 aircraft</a> at public events in 2022 and 2023 suggest that more than 200 J-20s have been built, surpassing the 187 F-22s the US built between 1996 and 2011 and doing so sooner <a href="https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/aircraft-propulsion/face-it-chinas-j-20-fifth-generation-fighter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">than expected</a>.The Chinese air force is developing the J-20 fleet as it grows and "is preparing upgrades" for the jet, according to the Pentagon's most recent report on the Chinese military, which covers developments through the end of 2022.Those upgrades may include increasing how many air-to-air missiles the jet can carry in its low-observable configuration, installing thrust-vectoring engine nozzles that would allow for tighter, sharper turns, and installing domestically developed WS-15 engines that would enable the jet to super-cruise, or to fly at supersonic speeds without using its afterburner.Chinese designers intended to outfit the J-20 with WS-15s from the outset, but China's aviation industry has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-looks-for-western-pilots-to-aid-its-military-aviation-2023-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">struggled to produce advanced jet engines</a>. Older engines have been used as placeholders, but imagery that emerged this summer showed WS-15 engines on a prototype of a new variant of the J-20.<div type="image" title="J-20 stealth fighter china" height="902" width="1500" msid="104801196" hostid="261" sizebytes="71994"></div>"We've seen the long, hard work that has gone into the bane of what had been their existence, aero-engines," Brendan Mulvaney, director of the China Aerospace Studies Institute, which is part of the Department of the US Air Force, said at a conference in mid-July, shortly after the imagery appeared on social media.Chinese-made jet engines "are not nearly" at the level of US-built engines, Mulvaney added, "but they've spent a decade focused on trying to make aero-engines, because that was really what was holding back" China's air force."That's now yielding pretty high-quality results, which they're putting into their newest aircraft," Mulvaney added.Along with the ability to super-cruise, the WS-15 engine is expected to improve the jet's electrical-power generation and its thermal-management properties and allow for future development — important features because the new prototype "is an example of a significantly enhanced J-20 variant that will feature major upgrades to subsystems and materials as well as displaying external changes," Rick Joe, an analyst focused on China's military, <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2023/08/chinas-j-20-gets-another-upgrade/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote this summer</a>.<div type="image" title="China J-20 stealth fighter jet" height="1333" width="2000" msid="104801197" hostid="261" sizebytes="73732"></div>Despite the improvement and expansion of the fleet, the top US Air Force officer in the Pacific is still skeptical of the J-20's ability to match up with US fifth-generation jets.Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, the head of US Pacific Air Forces, said in September 2022 that his command had had "a limited opportunity to assess" the J-20 but that it was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-leaders-worry-about-stealth-advantage-over-china-j20-2022-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not something to "worry too much about."</a> Asked about the jet again this year, Wilsbach said China had done well replicating US technology but had yet to develop the training and relationships that bolster the effectiveness of the US's fifth-generation jets."They've done some good work with copying the US, frankly, because pretty much most of the technology in that airplane is stolen from the US," Wilsbach said at the Air and Space Forces Association conference in September."I don't think that it's a dominating aircraft at this point compared to what we have, and what I would tell you is if you compare just aircraft-for-aircraft and you take the training that our people get and throw in interoperability with allies and partners, the Chinese probably still are at a pretty big disadvantage," Wilsbach added.<h2>'Chinese solutions to Chinese problems'</h2><div type="image" title="China YY-20 tanker J-20 J-16 fighter jet" height="957" width="1276" msid="104801198" hostid="261" sizebytes="29050"></div>China has pledged to develop its armed forces, officially known as the People's Liberation Army or PLA, into a "world class" military by 2049, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Officials have not defined what "world class" means, but advanced hardware, like the J-20, is seen as an important part of it.Developing and effectively employing advanced jets, warships, and other platforms takes time, however, and China's military ambitions in the near-term have focused on equipment that Mulvaney has described as "<a href="https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/CASI/Display/Article/2441424/air-to-air-missiles-capabilities-and-developments-in-china/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">good enough</a>" to achieve Beijing's goals — namely, preventing outside intervention in a conflict on China's periphery."Remember that, at least for the near future, China plans to play a home game," Mulvaney said in July. "They plan to have a measure of sanctuary within the Chinese mainland, and so they've adapted to field a force with that in mind."Those adaptations <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-jets-may-be-vulnerable-because-of-own-weapons-2021-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">include long-range missiles</a> that can disrupt the aerial-refueling operations on which US aircraft rely to cover vast distances in the Pacific, as well as heavy investment in anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles and in space-based systems to guide them <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-aircraft-carriers-arent-little-teacups-their-captains-say-2022-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">toward US warships far from China's coasts</a>.<div type="image" title="South China Sea between Xiamen in China and Kinmen in Taiwan" height="1342" width="2000" msid="104801199" hostid="261" sizebytes="176098"></div>"They don't need to build a J-20 that's as good as the F-35s that we're talking about today," Mulvaney said. "They just need to find a way to prevent those F-35s from intervening in PLA operations, so they've built air-to-air missiles that will outfly ours.""We never would have thought about throwing a ballistic missile against an aircraft carrier because that's just not a problem we had," Mulvaney said, but China plans to use those missiles "to push the aircraft carriers back so the Navy F-35s can't get there."Those efforts are meant to enable China's air force to operate "in and around China," including over the roughly 100 miles separating the mainland from Taiwan — a proximity that explains why China's air force "has yet to build a full tanker fleet of any size or substance," Mulvaney said, describing the PLA's approach as "Chinese solutions to Chinese problems."For its part, the US Air Force is adapting to what it expects to face from China in a war in the Pacific. It is developing a concept for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-air-force-needs-new-ways-to-defend-pacific-bases-2022-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more dispersed basing</a>, adding more <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-air-force-rapid-dragon-palletized-munitions-catch-chinese-attention-2023-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">capabilities to its cargo planes</a>, investing in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-air-force-blended-wing-body-design-tankers-cargo-planes-2023-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more efficient tankers</a> and in drones that will <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-air-force-collaborative-combat-aircraft-drones-fighter-jets-2023-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">soak up Chinese missiles</a>, and building <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-jets-may-be-vulnerable-because-of-own-weapons-2021-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new, longer-range missiles</a> of its own.<div type="image" title="China J-20 stealth fighter jet" height="1333" width="2000" msid="104801200" hostid="261" sizebytes="116590"></div>Many of the US Air Force's new platforms and concepts will take time to produce and to mature, however. Where officials say the US still has a clear advantage now is in its pilots."I wouldn't think that any of them have prowess like an American fighter pilot. They are not in the same category as what we train to," Wilsbach said of Chinese fighter pilots. "That being said, they are improving. They've improved a lot over the last decade."China's military has emphasized improving its combat readiness, which entails not only more training "but making its training more rigorous and realistic" and addressing training and education issues related to conducting complex operations across its service branches, according to the Pentagon report."China writ large is trying their best to improve themselves by improving their training scenarios" and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-looks-for-western-pilots-to-aid-its-military-aviation-2023-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gleaning insights from former Western pilots</a>, Wilsbach said. "They're reaching out to try to improve themselves, and so they are getting better. They're not on the same level as US or other Western pilots, in my view."

China's J-20 stealth jet isn't 'a dominating aircraft,' but it doesn't need to be for what China's military has planned

<ul class="summary-list"><li>US officials are alarmed by a sharp increase in unsafe interactions with Chinese jets and ships.</li><li>Close encounters raise the risk of an accident that could escalate to conflict, the officials say.</li></ul>US officials are sounding the alarm about close calls with Chinese jets and warships, which they say are crowding and harassing US forces in the Western Pacific.The US says those encounters are meant to force it and its allies to operate farther from China. For the Chinese pilots carrying them out, they are also part of a years-long effort to increase the complexity and value of their training through real-world interactions with a more experienced rival.The US military said in October that it had documented more than 180 cases of "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-declassifies-images-chinese-intercepts-over-east-south-china-seas-2023-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">coercive and risky operational behavior</a>" by Chinese forces since late 2021, including "reckless" maneuvers, approaching too rapidly or too close, or discharging chaff or flares close to US aircraft.Those 180 incidents were more than had occurred in the previous decade and appeared to be part of "a centralized, concerted campaign to perform these risky behaviors in order to coerce a change" in the activity of the US and its allies, the Pentagon said in its most recent report on the Chinese military, released in November.<div type="image" title="US China risky intercept" height="526" width="885" msid="106028829" hostid="261" sizebytes="7434"></div>"This is coercive behavior. In certain instances this is quite dangerous behavior that could lead to crisis or inadvertent conflict," Ely Ratner, the assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, told reporters at a Defense Writers Group event this month.Tensions between the US and China have risen in recent years, but Chinese thinking about the training value of encounters with rival forces dates back nearly a decade. A term for such an approach, "using the enemy to train the troops," has appeared in Chinese military sources since 2014, and official statements in early 2022 indicated that it had become part of military doctrine, according to Ryan Martinson and Conor Kennedy, researchers at the US Naval War College's China Maritime Studies Institute.That approach was applied to China's undersea force and then the rest of its navy in the 2010s in response to what Beijing saw as provocative activity by the US military, especially patrols around the so-called first island chain, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-marine-littoral-regiments-are-training-more-with-japan-philippines-2023-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which includes Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines</a>, Martinson and Kennedy wrote for <a href="https://jamestown.org/program/using-the-enemy-to-train-the-troops-beijings-new-approach-to-prepare-its-navy-for-war/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Jamestown Foundation</a> in 2022.For China, "using the enemy to train the troops" has the benefits of being realistic and of testing its forces' ability to use their equipment in an encounter with a live opponent, allowing them to make observations about the strengths and weaknesses of both sides, Martinson and Kennedy wrote. Chinese officials also believe it aids their troops' "fighting spirit" and counteracts the "peace disease," a reference to their lack of combat experience since 1979.<div type="image" title="China Xi Jinping military army infantry soldiers troops" height="1340" width="2000" msid="106028831" hostid="261" sizebytes="391070"></div>The US has released extensive <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-declassifies-images-chinese-intercepts-over-east-south-china-seas-2023-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">imagery of Chinese jets in close proximity</a> to US aircraft to illustrate what it says is risky behavior, but the training value "comes from everything that leads up to the Chinese aircraft being so close to the US aircraft," Michael Dahm, a senior resident fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, told Business Insider.During those intercepts, China's military is trying to determine the range at which US aircraft detect the Chinese jets, at what range they react to the approach, and how they do so, added Dahm, a retired US Navy intelligence officer whose career included a tour as an assistant naval attaché in Beijing."When the Chinese fighter aircraft are given vectors by their airborne or ground controllers, at what range could the Chinese fighter radar detect a US reconnaissance aircraft or a stealth aircraft like the F-35? What indications or electronic signals did the Chinese aircraft pick up on their approach?" Dahm said."The end result is a US airman looking out the window and seeing a J-15 or a J-16 too close to their wing, and that is concerning," Dahm added. "But everything that led up to that moment represents the real training value for the PLA Air Force."<div type="image" title="US China risky intercept" height="684" width="1214" msid="106028833" hostid="261" sizebytes="23570"></div>Gen. Mark Kelly, who oversees the training of US Air Force combat units as head of Air Combat Command, has also highlighted the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-chinese-pilots-want-batting-practice-against-us-generals-say-2023-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increase of encounters with Chinese aircraft</a> and the training motive behind that behavior."Five years ago we were not having our fighters interact with Chinese fighters on a routine basis in exercises," Kelly told reporters at the Air and Space Forces Association conference in September.Kelly said China, like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/improving-china-ties-allows-russia-to-raise-ukraine-military-pressure-2022-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">its close partner Russia</a>, is trying to mount "a direct challenge" to the US-led international order, and on an operational level, "they want batting practice against the best in the world" and "they feel pretty confident they can compete in this arena."Chinese leaders know that "using the enemy to train the troops" has risks — including of what a Chinese navy surface warfare officer called "inadvertent armed clash" — and some Chinese officials have outlined ways to apply it while avoiding "<a href="https://jamestown.org/program/using-the-enemy-to-train-the-troops-beijings-new-approach-to-prepare-its-navy-for-war/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">friction and conflict</a>," Martinson and Kennedy wrote last year.<div type="image" title="Xi and Biden" height="744" width="1024" msid="106028834" hostid="261" sizebytes="77162"></div>But the political motive behind the more confrontational approach means China is unlikely to change course.Experts say conducting provocative actions at a time when Beijing has cut off most military-to-military communication with the US <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-declassifies-images-chinese-intercepts-over-east-south-china-seas-2023-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is an effort to raise the stakes</a> and force Washington to back down from it activity in the Western Pacific, which US officials say is lawful but which China views as part of what Chinese leader Xi Jinping <a href="https://www.cfr.org/article/how-read-xis-muscular-message-chinas-global-role" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has described</a> as part of "all-round containment, encirclement, and suppression against us."During a meeting in California in November, Xi and President Joe Biden agreed to resume those communications, and Ratner said this month that the two sides were working on the schedule and sequencing of future talks.Biden and Xi "signaled a willingness on both sides to renew military-to-military engagements," and the Pentagon is "in the process of discussing" with China "the combination of what will be meetings, calls, dialogues, and engagements over the next 12 months," Ratner said.

China's risky maneuvers around the US military are part of a long-running plan to use 'the enemy to train the troops'

India and China on Monday held the seventh round of high-level military talks with a sole agenda of finalising a roadmap for disengagement of troops from all the friction points in eastern Ladakh. As the border standoff entered the sixth month, an early resolution to the row appears dim. The talks at the Corps commander level began at around 12 noon in Chushul on the Indian side of the <keyword id="49399" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Line-of-Actual-Control">Line of Actual Control</keyword> (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, official sources said. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="78162853" title="India-China decide ‘early date’ needed for military talks on border issue — but stalemate continues" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> The Indian delegation is led by Lt Gen Harinder Singh, the commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, and includes Naveen Srivastava, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA). Close to 100,000 Indian and Chinese troops are deployed in eastern Ladakh as both sides are holding their ground and also showing readiness for a long-haul even as diplomatic and military talks to find an amicable solution continue. The talks in Chushul are underway, the sources said. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="78613147" title="China launches Earth observation satellite amid border tensions with India" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Ahead of the talks, the sources said India will press for an early and complete disengagement of troops by China from all the friction points besides demanding restoration of immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April. The standoff began on May 5. The agenda for the talks is to firm up a roadmap for disengagement of troops from all the friction points in eastern Ladakh, the sources said. The China Study Group (CSG) comprising Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and three service chiefs on Friday finalised India's strategy for the military talks. The CSG is India's key policy making body on China. The sources said India will strongly oppose any demand by China for withdrawal of Indian troops from several strategic heights on the southern bank of the Pangong lake to kick-start the disengagement process. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="78380509" title="India-China border at 'no war no peace' status, says IAF chief" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> During the sixth round of Corps commander talks on September 21, the Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA) insisted on withdrawal of troops by the Indian Army from several strategic heights in Mukhpari, Rezang La and Magar hill areas around the southern bank of Pangong lake. Indian troops had occupied the strategic heights after the PLA soldiers attempted to intimidate them in the southern bank of Pangong lake on the intervening night of August 29 and 30. India has been maintaining that the disengagement process has to start simultaneously at all the friction points. At the talks, the two sides are expected to further explore steps to maintain stability on the ground and avoid any action that may trigger fresh tension in the region where troops from both sides will be facing difficult conditions in the next four months due to harsh winter, the sources said. Following the sixth round of military talks, the two sides announced a slew of decisions including not to send more troops to the frontline, refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground and avoid taking any actions that may further complicate matters. The military talks were held with a specific agenda of exploring ways to implement a five-point agreement reached between Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at a meeting in Moscow on September 10 on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) conclave. The pact included measures like quick disengagement of troops, avoiding action that could escalate tensions, adherence to all agreements and protocols on border management and steps to restore peace along the LAC. Days after the military talks, the two sides held diplomatic parleys under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs, but no concrete outcome emerged from the negotiations on September 30. After the diplomatic talks, the MEA said it was agreed that the next round of the meeting of senior commanders should be held at an early date so that both sides can work towards an early and complete disengagement of the troops along the LAC in accordance with the existing bilateral agreement and protocols. Srivastava, who has been leading the Indian side at the WMCC talks, also attended the military parleys on September 21 for the first time. It is Lt Gen Singh's last round of talks with the PLA in the current standoff as he is due to take charge as head of the prestigious Indian Military Academy(IMA) this week. His successor at the 14 Corps Lt Gen PGK Menon is also part of the Indian delegation. At the previous six rounds of military talks, the Indian side insisted on complete disengagement of Chinese troops at the earliest, and immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April. The situation in eastern Ladakh deteriorated following at least three attempts by the Chinese soldiers to "intimidate" Indian troops along the northern and southern bank of Pangong lake area between August 29 and September 8 where even shots were fired in the air for the first time at the LAC in 45 years. As tensions escalated further, the foreign ministers of India and China held talks in Moscow on September 10 where they reached a five-point agreement to defuse the situation in eastern Ladakh. The agreement was the basis for the sixth round of Corps commander-level talks. In the last three months, the Indian Army rushed tanks, heavy weaponry, ammunition, fuel, food and essential winter supplies to various treacherous and high-altitude areas of the region to maintain combat readiness through the harsh winter of around four months starting around mid-October. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/latest-updates-on-india-china-border-issue/articleshow/78162853.cms">India-China decide ‘early date’ needed for military talks on border issue — but stalemate continues</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/china-launches-earth-observation-satellite-amid-border-tensions-with-india/articleshow/78613147.cms">China launches Earth observation satellite amid border tensions with India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/chinese-army-will-be-using-thermal-shelters-to-fend-off-the-sub-zero-temperatures-along-the-india-china-border-this-winter/articleshow/78554233.cms">Chinese Army will be using thermal shelters to fend off the sub-zero temperatures along the India-China border this winter</a>

India-China 7th round of high-level military talks underway

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The US and China will resume military-to-military communications, Biden announced Wednesday.</li><li>The Pentagon had previously reported silence from Chinese military officials, raising concerns.</li></ul>The US and China are resuming military-to-military communications, the US and China said Wednesday after more than year of mostly radio silence.The decision is a move in the right direction, creating a path for communication and de-escalation as the two militaries often operate in close proximity, necessities amid a spike in risky behaviors from Chinese pilots that could quickly escalate into a crisis. Still, tensions between the two military powers remain, with relations still uneasy in a number of areas.On Wednesday, President Joe Biden and leader of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping had a four-hour meeting in San Francisco, discussing a range of issues from the serious influx of fentanyl from China into the US to American expectations that China help curb malign behavior actors like Iran in the Middle East.Their discussions weren't necessarily as successful as hoped, but the two did reach an agreement to resume military-to-military communications, meaning open lines between Department of Defense (DoD) officials and the PLA on a variety of topics, from crisis management to strategic and operational movements.The White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/11/15/readout-of-president-joe-bidens-meeting-with-president-xi-jinping-of-the-peoples-republic-of-china-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a readout "the two leaders welcomed the resumption of high-level military-to-military communication, as well as the U.S.-China Defense Policy Coordination Talks and the U.S.-China Military Maritime Consultative Agreement meetings, adding that "both sides are also resuming telephone conversations between theater commanders."China also <a href="https://www.gov.cn/govweb/yaowen/liebiao/202311/content_6915514.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in a release that the two sides are "restoring high-level communication between the two militaries on the basis of equality and respect."China officially severed these communications in August 2022 following former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's high-profile visit to Taiwan; however, a recently released <a href="https://media.defense.gov/2023/Oct/19/2003323409/-1/-1/1/2023-MILITARY-AND-SECURITY-DEVELOPMENTS-INVOLVING-THE-PEOPLES-REPUBLIC-OF-CHINA.PDF">Pentagon report</a> on the Chinese military indicates that ties were strained throughout most of that year and into 2023 as well.A lack of communication is especially concerning given the documented increase in risky and dangerous behavior by Chinese pilots, who have conducted numerous unsafe intercepts of US and allied aircraft."The PLA's refusal to engage in military-to-military communications with the United States, combined with the PLA's increasingly coercive and risky operational behavior, raises the risk of an operational incident or miscalculation spiraling into crisis or conflict," DoD officials wrote in its latest report on the Chinese People's Liberation Army.<div type="image" title="A screenshot from the USINDOPACOM video showing a Chinese J-11 fighter jet intercepting a US Air Force B-52 aircraft." height="1658" width="2410" msid="105270098" hostid="261" sizebytes="41556"></div>The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-declassifies-images-chinese-intercepts-over-east-south-china-seas-2023-10">spike in risky and dangerous intercepts</a> reported by US officials began before China officially cut off mil-to-mil comms. Since the fall of 2021, the DoD has documented more than 180 such incidents of Chinese fighters flying alongside, over, and underneath US aircraft at unsafe speeds and close distances, sometimes just 10 or 15 feet."That's nearly 200 cases where PLA operators have performed reckless maneuvers or discharged chaff or shot off flares or approached too rapidly or too close to US aircraft," Ely Ratner, the assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs told reporters at the Pentagon in October. And in the same time window, the US has documented around 100 such incidents involving allied and partner nations.There have been more incidents "in the past two years than in the previous decade," the Pentagon report says, and for a period of time, the phone lines weren't open. The situation is less than ideal if something were to occur like the 2001 Hainan Island incident, when a Chinese J-8 fighter jet collided with a US EP-3 aircraft during an unsafe intercept over the South China Sea, destroying the Chinese jet, killing its pilot, and forcing the American plane to land in Chinese territory.The DoD recently declassified a large collection of photos and videos it says shows the unsafe intercepts described in reports and by officials.The most recent such incident involved a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-chinese-fighter-jet-within-10-feet-us-b52-bomber-2023-10">Chinese fighter jet buzzing a US B-52 bomber</a> over the South China Sea in late October. US Indo-Pacific Command released a video of the nighttime intercept, saying "the PRC pilot flew in an unsafe and unprofessional manner, demonstrated poor airmanship by closing with uncontrolled excessive speed, flying below, in front of, and within 10 feet of the B-52, putting both aircraft in danger of collision."Some of these intercepts, like the B-52 bomber, likely demonstrate the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-pilots-willing-challenge-us-risky-intercepts-former-naval-aviator-2023-11">PLA's willingness to challenge US airpower</a>, as well as test its response, aviation experts have said.<div type="image" title="US China risky intercept" height="848" width="1631" msid="105270099" hostid="261" sizebytes="25320"></div>As Biden <a href="https://x.com/POTUS/status/1724976837086904382?s=20">noted</a> after the meeting with China's Xi, the goal of re-establishing military-to-military links is to promote "clear and open communication between our defense establishments," which "is vital to avoid miscalculation by either side and prevent conflict." DoD officials, too, have said opening lines between the US and China would "ensure competition does not veer into conflict." But reopened comms may not be enough to fully ease tensions in the US-China relationship, which are significantly strained. Just after Wednesday's pivotal meeting, Biden said he still <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-xi-pull-away-from-brink-conflict-apec-meeting-china-2023-11">believed Xi was a dictator</a>."Well, look, he's a dictator in the sense that he is a guy who runs a country that is a communist country that's based on a form of government totally different than ours," Biden told CNN's MJ Lee. "Anyway, we made progress."On Thursday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson called the president's comment "extremely erroneous" and an "irresponsible political maneuver, which China firmly opposes."

US-China military hotlines are reopening to prevent things like risky run-ins from triggering a full-blown crisis

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The US sought the help of non-allies to try to dissuade Russia from carrying out a nuclear strike in 2022.</li><li>The US feared a Ukrainian counteroffensive against Kherson could trigger Putin.</li></ul>The US asked non-allies for help in an attempt to dissuade Russia from carrying out a nuclear strike in 2022, a senior US administration official told CNN."One of the things we did was not only message them directly but strongly urge, press, encourage other countries, to whom they might be more attentive, to do the same thing," they said, per the report.The official said their assessment was that input from the likes of India, China, and others "may have had some effect" on Russia's thinking."The concern from key countries for Russia and the Global South, was also a helpful, persuasive factor and showed them what the cost of all this could be," another US official told the outlet.<div type="image" title="Xi/Putin" height="701" width="1024" msid="108355650" hostid="261" sizebytes="37592"></div>Worries that Putin might resort to using nuclear weapons spread in 2022 after Russian forces faced a series of defeats and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-troops-enter-kherson-humiliate-for-putin-as-russia-retreats-2022-11">Ukraine launched a counteroffensive against the prized city of Kherson</a> in southern Ukraine."If significant numbers of Russian forces were ­overrun —­ if their lives were shattered as such —­ that was a sort of precursor to a potential threat directly to Russian territory or the Russian state," one of the senior officials said.And the Biden administration feared that this might trigger Putin to use nuclear weapons as a deterrent to avoid further losses, as he viewed the captured town of Kherson as part of Russia itself, per the CNN report.<h2>Russia's 'dirty bomb' claim</h2>In October 2022, Russian propagandists also began circulating a story suggesting that Ukraine was planning to use a "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-baseless-claim-ukraine-dirty-bomb-ploy-to-scare-west-2022-10">dirty bomb</a>," a device containing both radioactive material and regular explosives.Sergei Shoigu, Russia's defense minister, put the claim to the US and a number of its allies.<div type="image" title="sergei shoigu" height="1174" width="1500" msid="108355652" hostid="261" sizebytes="78780"></div>"Russian public messaging came way out of the left field on the potential for Ukraine to use a dirty bomb, which we saw not grounded in reality," one of the administration officials said.But they added that there were fears Russia was making the claims as "a pretext for them to do something crazy or as a cover for something they themselves were looking at doing."The Institute for the Study of War think tank <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1584304801495814144">said</a> at the time that the move "likely sought to slow or suspend Western military aid" and "possibly weaken the NATO alliance in scare-mongering calls."Nevertheless, one official said, "the risk level seemed to be going up, beyond where it had been at any other point in time."In June 2023, President Joe Biden said Russia's nuclear threat remained "real" following the news that Russia had moved nuclear weapons into neighboring Belarus.Last month, Putin made some of his most explicit nuclear threats so far after French President Emmanuel Macron suggested NATO could send troops to aid Ukraine — despite the idea being rejected by the US and other NATO allies."(Western nations) must realise that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory," he said, per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-warns-west-risk-nuclear-war-says-moscow-can-strike-western-targets-2024-02-29/">Reuters</a>. "All this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilisation. Don't they get that?"

US asked China and India for help to prevent Russia from carrying out a nuclear strike in 2022, report says

<keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword> and Maldives have signed an agreement to introduce the <keyword id="19998949" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Unified-Payments-Interface" source="keywords">Unified Payments Interface</keyword> in the archipelago nation, which will have a "very positive" impact on its <keyword id="20260982" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tourism-sector" source="keywords">tourism sector</keyword>, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Friday during Jaishankar's three-day official visit to the Maldives. "Witnessed signing of MoU between (the) National Payments Corporation of India and (the) Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Maldives on (the) introduction of (a) digital payment system in the Maldives," he said in a post on X. Developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (<keyword id="19998946" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NPCI" source="keywords">NPCI</keyword>), Unified Payment Interface (UPI) is an instant real-time payment system to facilitate inter-bank transactions through mobile phones. Addressing a press conference with his Maldivian counterpart Moosa Zameer after their "productive discussions", Jaishankar said that India, through its UPI, has "revolutionised digital transactions". Stressing that it has taken financial inclusion in India to new levels, he said "Today 40 per cent of the world's real-time digital payments take place in our country." "We see this revolution, every day in our lives. I am pleased to note that with the signing of the MoU today, we have taken the first step towards bringing this digital innovation to Maldives," he said. "I wish the very best to stakeholders on both sides and hope that we will soon see the first UPI transaction here. I should mention that it will have a very positive impact on tourism," he added. Tourism is the main source of economic activity for the Maldives, contributing nearly 30 per cent of the GDP and generating more than 60 per cent of foreign exchange. Jaishankar's visit aims to reset the bilateral relationship with the Maldives and is the first high-level trip from India after the archipelago nation's pro-China president, Mohamed Muizzu, assumed office last year. "India's partnership with the Maldives is based on our deep desire to work together for each other's welfare and interests. It is a partnership that has enabled us to always swiftly and effectively respond to challenges, as witnessed in the past," Jaishankar said. "It is a partnership that has enabled us to deliver results and bring tangible benefits to our people in accordance with their wishes, aspirations and priorities," he said. In a post on X, Jaishankar also said, "Jointly inaugurated six High Impact Projects in areas of street lighting, mental health, children speech therapy and special education." "Welcome renewal of MoU between National Centre for Good Governance and Civil Services Commission on (the) training of additional 1,000 civil services officers," he added. Addressing the joint press conference, Maldivian Foreign Minister Zameer said, "India has always been one of our closest friends and a vital development partner." He said the "enduring friendship" was built on a foundation of mutual trust and respect and has continued to flourish over the years. "High-level exchanges between our countries have deepened our dialogue and cooperation in areas of shared interest. We remain dedicated to strengthening and advancing this mutually beneficial partnership," he said. "Minister Dr Jaishankar and I agreed that much more needs to be done to promote trade and investment between the Maldives and India," he said, adding that both sides are committed to establishing "effective mechanisms to enhance economic cooperation, fostering a vibrant and prosperous partnership that will benefit both the nations." Zameer said he conveyed President Muizzu's proposal to begin negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement between the Maldives and India. "This agreement alongside other economic and trade-related agreements will facilitate trade liberalisation and ease the risks of doing business in both our countries," he said. Zameer said that India and Maldives have also mutually agreed to further strengthen their partnership by continuing joint exercises and expanding training opportunities for officers from both countries, asserting that this reflects "our commitment to working together to ensure the security of our nations as well as ensuring the safety and stability of the Indian Ocean region." India's relations with the Maldives suffered a major setback last year when President Muizzu demanded the withdrawal of Indian military personnel manning three aviation platforms in the Maldives. Subsequently, the Indian military personnel were replaced by civilians by May 10, the mutually agreed date. "On regional and multilateral issues of importance, our countries have a common understanding and are united in our efforts to resolve them. We agreed to continue our cooperation on issues ranging from combating terrorism, violent extremism, drugs, human trafficking and to the promotion and protection of human rights," Zameer said. In his press statement, Jaishankar said that India and the Maldives "are not just close neighbours, we are also natural partners." "Today, we are mutually invested in each other's development and progress. In a globalised and interconnected world, we see a lot of volatility and global tensions. Even as the world is recovering from the impact of the COVID pandemic, we have been confronted with new challenges arising from international conflicts," he said. In this tumultuous environment, India has been and will be, an anchor of stability for its friends, partners and neighbours. To the Maldives specifically, India has provided support to deal with economic challenges through financial assistance and budgetary support, and by ensuring an uninterrupted supply of critical items, he noted. India's actions have been and will continue to be guided by its firm commitment to the philosophy of 'Sabka Saath, Sabke Vikas - which is- Together, we prosper', Jaishankar said. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/brainbees-solutions-firstcry-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-ipo-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/112403576.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/brainbees-solutions-firstcry-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-ipo-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/112403576.cms" target="_blank">Brainbees Solutions (Firstcry) IPO allotment – How to check allotment, IPO GMP, listing date and more</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indias-wearables-market-decline-for-the-first-time-as-smartwatch-shipments-fall/articleshow/112397246.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indias-wearables-market-decline-for-the-first-time-as-smartwatch-shipments-fall/articleshow/112397246.cms" target="_blank">India’s wearables market decline for the first time as smartwatch shipments fall</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/ola-wants-to-re-enter-the-quick-commerce-business-to-take-on-blinkit-and-swiggy-instamart/articleshow/112364583.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/ola-wants-to-re-enter-the-quick-commerce-business-to-take-on-blinkit-and-swiggy-instamart/articleshow/112364583.cms" target="_blank">Ola wants to re-enter the quick commerce business to take on Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart</a>

India to introduce UPI payment service in Maldives

The seventh round of India and China military talks to resolve border disputes in Eastern Ladakh have ended in a deadlock. The de-escalation of forces at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) during winter is highly unlikely and both the countries have to provide huge logistics. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="78632960" title="Chinese PLA is reportedly rotating troops despite India's insistence on disengagement from friction points along the border" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> The military commander-level meeting between India and China took place for around 11 hours at Chushul on Sunday. The Indian Army has issued a statement saying the two sides had a sincere, in-depth and constructive exchange of views on disengagement along the LAC in the western sector of India-China border areas. "They were of the view that these discussions were positive, constructive and had enhanced understanding of each other's positions," the Indian Army said. The force also said that both sides agreed to maintain dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels, and arrive at a mutually acceptable solution for disengagement as early as possible. "Both sides agreed to earnestly implement the important understandings reached by the leaders of the two countries, not to turn differences into disputes, and jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas," the force said. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="78554233" title="Chinese Army will be using thermal shelters to fend off the sub-zero temperatures along the India-China border this winter" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> It was the seventh round of deliberations between both the countries' Corps Commander level officials. From the Indian side, Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, whose tenure ended as 14 Corps Commander on Monday, and his successor Lieutenant General P.G.K. Menon led the discussion. The Joint Secretary from the Ministry of External Affairs, Navin Srivastava, also attended the meeting. Temperatures at critical mountain peaks and passes along the disputed India-China border have dropped to minus 20-degree Celsius, throwing up a fresh challenge to the thousands of troops amassed by both the sides. On August 30, India had occupied critical mountain heights on the southern bank of the Pangong Lake like Rechin La, Rezang La, Mukpari and Tabletop that were unmanned till now. India has also made some deployments near the Blacktop. The movement was carried out after the Chinese side tried to make a provocative military move. Dominance at these 13 peaks now allows India to dominate the Spangur Gap under Chinese control and also the Moldo garrison on the Chinese side. PLA troops are adamant to resolve the situation first on the southern bank where Indian troops are in a position of strength tactically, but India wants a roadmap for de-escalation across Ladakh. India had strongly asserted that the LAC should be drawn out. India and China are engaged in a six-month-long standoff along the LAC. Despite several levels of dialogue, there has not been any breakthrough and the deadlock continues. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/infosys-announce-second-quarter-earnings-on-october-14/articleshow/78640964.cms">VanGuard deal will be the highlight of Infosys' second-quarter earnings as investors look for a hike in guidance</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/wipro-board-approves-9500-crore-share-buyback-plan/articleshow/78638511.cms">Wipro board approves ₹9,500 crore share buyback plan</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/oneplus-chinese-company-co-founder-carl-pei-exits-company-one-day-ahead-of-flagship-mobile-launch/articleshow/78634270.cms">OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei reportedly exits company one day ahead of flagship smartphone launch</a>

India-China remain in deadlock over border dispute even after seventh round of military talks

<keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>'s <keyword id="6359526" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="military" source="Orion">military</keyword> spending of $76.6 billion ranked third highest in the world followed by the US and <keyword id="1334" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="china" source="Orion">China</keyword>, stated Sweden based think-tank -- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) -- in its report published on Monday. The report stated that India's military spending was up by 0.9 per cent from 2020 and by 33 per cent from 2012. In a push to strengthen the indigenous arms industry, 64 per cent of capital outlays in the military budget of 2021 were earmarked for acquisitions of domestically produced arms. India is facing the threat of a two-front war -- from China and Pakistan. Since 2020, India has been engaged in border dispute at Line of Actual Control with China. The report also stated total global military expenditure has increased by 0.7 per cent in real terms in 2021, to reach $2,113 billion. It stated that the five largest spenders in 2021 were the US, China, India, the UK and Russia, together accounting for 62 per cent of expenditure, according to new data on global military spending. World military spending continued to grow in 2021, reaching an all-time high of $2.1 trillion. This was the seventh consecutive year that spending increased. "Even amid the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, world military spending hit record levels," said <keyword id="13702792" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="diego-lopes-da-silva" source="Orion">Diego Lopes da Silva</keyword>, Senior Researcher with SIPRI's Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme. "There was a slowdown in the rate of real-terms growth due to inflation. In nominal terms, however, military spending grew by 6.1 per cent." As a result of a sharp economic recovery in 2021, the global military burden -- world military expenditure as a share of world gross domestic product (GDP), fell by 0.1 percentage points, from 2.3 per cent in 2020 to 2.2 per cent in 2021. Meanwhile, the US military spending amounted to $801 billion in 2021, a drop of 1.4 per cent from 2020. The US military burden decreased slightly from 3.7 per cent of GDP in 2020 to 3.5 per cent in 2021. "US funding for military research and development (R&amp;D) rose by 24 per cent between 2012 and 2021, while arms procurement funding fell by 6.4 per cent over the same period. In 2021 spending on both decreased. However, the drop in R&amp;D spending (-1.2 per cent) was smaller than that in arms procurement spending (-5.4 per cent)," the report stated. "The increase in R&amp;D spending over the decade 2012-21 suggests that the United States is focusing more on next-generation technologies," said <keyword id="12676475" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="alexandra-marksteiner" source="Orion">Alexandra Marksteiner</keyword>, Researcher with SIPRI's Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme. The US government has repeatedly stressed the need to preserve the US military's technological edge over strategic competitors. Russia increased its military expenditure by 2.9 per cent in 2021, to $65.9 billion, at a time when it was building up its forces along the Ukrainian border. This was the third consecutive year of growth and Russia's military spending reached 4.1 per cent of GDP in 2021. As it has strengthened its defences against Russia, Ukraine's military spending has risen by 72 per cent since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Spending fell in 2021, to $5.9 billion, but still accounted for 3.2 per cent of the country's GDP. China, the world's second largest spender, allocated an estimated $293 billion to its military in 2021, an increase of 4.7 per cent compared with 2020. China's military spending has grown for 27 consecutive years. The 2021 Chinese budget was the first under the 14th Five-Year Plan, which runs until 2025. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-10-most-expensive-shares-in-india/slidelist/91073430.cms">MRF, Page Industries, Nestle among top 10 stocks that are extremely expensive to buy</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/hyundai-motors-profit-up-17-aims-to-sell-4-32-million-vehicles-this-year/articleshow/91073745.cms">Hyundai Motor's profit up 17%, aims to sell 4.32 million vehicles this year</a>

You Searched For "india china military level talks" and got 12 results

India fourth largest military spender globally in 2023: SIPRI report

PTI

Xi Jinping is in a battle with China's own military, and the outcome could drag the US into WWIII

Thibault Spirlet

SEAL Team 6 is said to be training for a fight with China over Taiwan. Here's what it could do if Beijing invades.

Stavros Atlamazoglou

India insists China disengages from all friction points along LAC at 7th round of military talks

PTI

China's J-20 stealth jet isn't 'a dominating aircraft,' but it doesn't need to be for what China's military has planned

Christopher Woody

China's risky maneuvers around the US military are part of a long-running plan to use 'the enemy to train the troops'

Christopher Woody

India-China 7th round of high-level military talks underway

PTI

US-China military hotlines are reopening to prevent things like risky run-ins from triggering a full-blown crisis

Chris Panella

US asked China and India for help to prevent Russia from carrying out a nuclear strike in 2022, report says

Cameron Manley

India to introduce UPI payment service in Maldives

PTI

India-China remain in deadlock over border dispute even after seventh round of military talks

IANS

India's military spending 3rd highest in the world, says report

IANS

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