The United States and China possess the two largest armies in the world in terms of budget, manpower, weaponry, and equipment. France 2’s 8:00 p.m. news program compared them in different areas.
Here are the two largest armies in the world: the US Army and the People’s Liberation Army, known for their spectacular military parades. Each army has its strengths. Beijing has by far the largest contingent: 2,535,000 active military personnel, almost twice as many as Washington. China also has double the number of battle tanks: 6,800 compared to 3,440 in the United States. In the air, the United States has an advantage with almost four times as many fighter jets, often considered more advanced. When it comes to naval power, both countries are neck and neck. The Chinese are rapidly building ships, but they have only three traditional aircraft carriers compared to eleven nuclear-powered ones for the Americans.
Both countries possess nuclear weapons, but the Pentagon reportedly has about ten times more warheads. In terms of budget, the United States is far ahead: $997 billion compared to $314 billion for China, more than triple, even though many experts believe the Chinese figure is underestimated.
Military dominance is also measured by alliances and foreign presence. China has only one base in Djibouti, while the United States officially has 128 bases spread across all continents, and even close to 800 with more informal or secret ones, according to many experts.
This advantage has been built over decades since the Cold War for the United States. More recently for Beijing, which has been increasing its defense budget by an average of 7% per year for the past ten years. This budget increase is transforming President Xi Jinping’s vision into reality: making China a military superpower today.
