The Northrop Grumman B-21, also called “Raider”, should succeed the B-2 stealth bomber from the same arsenal and will be presented next week.
The Xian H-20 will be the first long-range Chinese-made bomber in years and is expected to be operational soon. The two strategic fighter jets are representative of the arms race between the two nations that has been going on for years.
Last year, US general Mark Milley (64) expressed concern about China’s new hypersonic weapon technology. He doesn’t know if this is already a “Sputnik moment”. “But,” he added, “I think very close.” That is “very worrying”.
When the Soviet Union launched the first satellite, called Sputnik, into space in 1957, a technological advantage of the Russians over the Americans in space became apparent, which shocked the US and could only be caught up after a few years.
Is China’s military already more powerful than the US’s?
The US military is much better funded than its Chinese counterpart
That’s hard to say, Ulrich Kühn, head of the Arms Control and New Technologies research department at the University of Hamburg, said in an interview with Blick. But the fact is: “There is no military in the world that has such projection power as that of the US. It is still the largest, most capable and best funded. As a result, the US currently still has a big lead over China.”
By comparison, according to “Statista,” US military spending in 2021 was about $800.7 billion. In the case of China, spending was estimated at $293.4 billion – much lower.
“But China has upgraded, especially in the marine sector, where the US has probably already partially caught up in terms of quantity. But the Americans still have a larger nuclear arsenal,” says Kühn.
However, the sheer number of weapons is not decisive, the expert emphasizes: “The US has a very broad network of allies, China does not – Russia’s approaches are not formal. And as the war in Ukraine has shown, the allied nations will also pull together in an emergency.”
Will there be an escalation between the US and China?
The arms spiral is pursued by both sides, Kühn explains: “The United States fears a Chinese escalation towards Taiwan, and China feels threatened by the United States in Asia.” In short: a vicious circle.
Breaking through that will be difficult, says Kühn. Because diplomatic relations between the United States and Chinese ruler Xi Jinping (69) have steadily deteriorated in recent years. US President Joe Biden (79) essentially continues the policies of his predecessor Donald Trump (76) – confrontational and competitive.
There is no question of a new Cold War yet, says Kühn. But: “There are many indications of conflict, the structures for it are already there.” But there does not have to be an active conflict, the military expert assures, because a war is not beneficial to either side.
There were also signs of de-escalation. “In recent weeks, we have seen – including with the meeting of Biden and Xi – that more talks or even partial easing may be coming soon.”