China's military closing gap with US at 'surprising' speed: analyst

China's military has achieved world-class status through a decade of rapid modernization, according to Lyle Goldstein, a senior fellow at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. Goldstein described the progress as "tremendous," comparing the pace to an aircraft at full throttle or a car in fourth gear.

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My view is that China’s military has made tremendous progress in the process of modernisation over the last 10 years. It’s almost like an aircraft going full throttle or a car that’s going into fourth gear. It really is the pace that has picked up a lot.

"It really is the pace that has picked up a lot," Goldstein said. "We had an inkling that this was under way and that major results were going to be forthcoming. But here they are. I have to say, as a military analyst, it’s very impressive. I might even go as far as to say that it could even be unprecedented in its scale and dimensions, and also implications."

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I have to say, as a military analyst, it’s very impressive. I might even go as far as to say that it could even be unprecedented in its scale and dimensions, and also implications.

Goldstein noted that China has long aimed to be a world-leading military, and it has clearly reached that goal. He suggested that focusing too heavily on the 2027 benchmark year is not the right approach, as China's military will continue to grow much stronger by 2037 and beyond. He pointed out that some programs, such as the aircraft carrier initiative, are still developing.

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Clearly, China is there. The areas where it has achieved that status seem to be increasing every day. In a sense, they have achieved what they’ve set out to do.

However, the rapid advancement has created a "big discrepancy" between China and other countries, fostering fear and anxiety in the region. This palpable anxiety stems from the perception that the United States is playing a lesser role while China's influence grows. Goldstein stated that this situation ultimately hurts China due to the fear it generates.

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There are areas where there’s now emerged a big discrepancy between China and other countries, and ultimately that does hurt China because there is fear. You can sense it in the region. There’s quite a palpable anxiety about where the region is going in a world where clearly the United States is playing less of a role and China is playing much more of a role.