“My dear, here we must run as fast as we can,
just to stay in place. And if you wish to go anywhere
you must run twice as fast as that.”
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

People's Liberation Army Versus the US Military

Zeno of Elea, son of Teleutagoras, the pupil and the friend of Parmenides, is supposed to have been born towards the beginning of the 5th century BC. In Plato's Parmenides, Socrates, "then very young," meets Parmenides, "an old man some sixty-five years of age," and Zeno, "a man of about forty, tall and personable," and engages them in philosophical discussion. Of the paradoxes used by Zeno to discredit the belief in plurality and motion, eight survive in the writings of Aristotle.

Zeno's Sixth Paradox holds that if a tortoise has the start of Achilles, Achilles can never come up with the tortoise; for, while Achilles traverses the distance from his starting-point to the starting-point of the tortoise, the tortoise advances a certain distance, and while Achilles traverses this distance, the tortoise makes a further advance, and so on ad infinitum. Consequently. Achilles may run ad infinitum without overtaking the tortoise. But here Zeno mistakenly confounds a finite distance infinitely divided with an infinite distance.

The PLA Air Force has been upgraded in the five years 2012-2017, with the "20" series aircraft. The J-20, a stealth fighter jet independently developed by China, was officially commissioned into military service on 28 September 2017. The Y-20, a versatile plane with a maximum takeoff weight of about 200 tons, is designed to carry cargo and personnel over long distances in hazardous terrain. It officially entered military service in July 2016. On September 2, 2016, PLA Air Force Commander Ma Xiaotian said that China is developing a new generation long-range strategic bomber. Chinese military enthusiasts and analysts call it the H-20, which they believe could match the US B-2 stealth bomber. The Z-20 utility helicopter, which China considers a match for the UH-60 Blackhawk, is also undergoing tests in plateau regions in China.

Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work said 24 June 2015 that China was rapidly closing the technology and capabilities gap with the US when it comes to air and space defense superiority. The Defense Department, he said, "cannot overlook the competitive aspects of our relationship, especially in the realm of military capabilities, an area in which China continues to improve at a very impressive rate."

The United States is taking action to make sure it militarily stays ahead of China, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on 06 November 2015 in remarks at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. “We definitely keep an eye on China and we take specificactions to make sure we stay ahead of Chinese military capabilities,” Carter said. “This is built into our budget.”

China’s military buildup is approaching near parity with the United States on the land, sea, air and in cyber warfare, US Pacific Command (PACOM) commander Admiral Harry Harris told Congress on 21 February 2018. "China’s impressive military buildup could soon challenge the United States across almost every domain," commander Admiral Harris said in testimony before the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee. Key advancements include "fielding significant improvements in missile systems, developing fifth generation fighter aircraft capabilities, and growing the size and capability of the Chinese navy," Harris said.

Notes:

1 - This includes $75.5 billion in supplemental appropriations for 2009 and $130.0 billion for 2010 to support ongoing overseas contingency operations.

2 - This includes $33.0 billion for a 2010 supplemental request and $159.3 billion for 2011 to support ongoing overseas contingency operations.

3 - As of 30 September 2009

4 - Includes A-10 and OA-10 types

5 - Excludes Vietnam-era designs

6 - Does not include any residual number of obselete H-5/Il-28 types

7 - B-737-200, Il-76MD, Tu-154M, and Y-8

8 - C-5, C-17, and C-130s (less AC-130, HC-130, KC-130, and MC-130 types)

9 - 0ver 3000 tons

10 - 0ver 7500 tons

11 - Landing Ship Dock, Landing Platform Dock types

References

• FY 2011 Defense Budget
• FY 2010 Defense Budget
• ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2010 Released 16 Aug 2010
• Officials declassify nuclear stockpile details to promote transparency AFNS 04 May 2010 -- US officials released details about the country's nuclear stockpile, including progress made in dismantling warheads.
• China Profile: Nuclear Capabilities @ the Nuclear Threat Initiative
• The Military Balance. London, UK: The International Institute for Strategic Studies, 2010