China's Foreign Conventional Arms Acquisitions: Background and Analysis

摘要

This CRS Report examines the major, foreign conventional weapon systems that China has acquired or has committed to acquire since 1990, with particular attention to implications for U.S. security concerns. It is not the assumption of this report that China's military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA), will engage in conflict with other forces in Asia. Nonetheless, since the mid-1990s, there has been increasing concern about China's assertiveness in Asia and military buildup against Taiwan. Since 1990, China has acquired or sought to acquire select types and modest quantities of modern foreign weapons, primarily from Russia. These include: Mi-17 helicopters, Il-76 transports, Su- 27 fighters, S-300 surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, Kilo submarines, Tor- M1 SAM systems, Sovremenny destroyers (with Sunburn anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs)), A-50 airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) (Israeli Phalcon system canceled in 2000), and Su-30 long-range fighters. The Su-27 and Su-30 represent significant upgrades in fighter aircraft capability over China's indigenous aircraft. The combination of the PLA's imported AA-11 air-to-air missile and highly maneuverable aircraft could prove a vexing air-to-air challenge to modern fighter aircraft of other forces in Asia. The Russian SAMs represent marked improvements in China's ability to target aircraft and missiles that threaten its airspace. Nonetheless, the PLA's ability to employ its modern acquisitions is hampered by factors such as limited inventory, deficient maintenance, inadequate pilot training, outdated air doctrine, rigid command, disparate communications, and lack of supporting capabilities in the near term. China's navy has been primarily a coastal defense force built around ships based largely on older or obsolete Soviet technology. China's two Sovremenny-class ships are considerably more technologically modern, complex, and capable than most other PLA surface combatants.