China is making huge strides toward becoming a major military power. According to the Pentagon’s annual report to Congress, the People’s Liberation Army is close to matching the might of most world powers.
“Militarily, China’s sustained modernization program is paying visible dividends,” the report says. “During 2010, China made strides toward fielding an operational anti-ship ballistic missile, continued work on its aircraft carrier program, and finalized the prototype of its first stealth aircraft.”
In the next few years, China will be able to project military power far from its shores. China recently began sea trials of an aircraft carrier it purchased from Russia . When the ship becomes operational, the Chinese will join a handful of nations with carrier-group status.
Some of China 's best progress has been in expanding its nuclear forces. It now has a new multi-warhead mobile missile. China is thought to have up to 75 long-range nuclear missiles, including hard-to-find, road-mobile DF-31 and DF-31A intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), according to the report. China also has 120 intermediate- and medium-range missiles.
China will soon roll out its first Jin-class ballistic-missile submarine. The maximum range of the new missile is estimated to be 7,000~8,000 km, three times that of China's first-generation sub based missile.
Much of China's military is unknown to our intelligence services. The Chinese military hides much of its technology in massive underground facilities. These “obscure tunnel networks” stretch more than 3,000 miles.
China is very active in cyber-warfare, which is becoming extremely important in our computer-driven world. The Chinese are very aggressive in cyber-intelligence gathering and have targeted numerous computer systems around the world. One of the reasons we don't have a precise count of how many nukes China has is because it keeps most of its stockpiles in deep underground bunkers.
China also is working on developing anti-satellite weapons. It has been working on space interceptor missiles since 2007. Because of all these tests, a debris field has built up in space that threatens orbiting spacecraft.
The Chinese might be our trading partner, but they remain our adversaries on many issues. What is most disturbing is their stated willingness to use nuclear weapons against us in a future conflict.
In October 1995, Gen. Xiong Guangkai said of any conflict over Taiwan that “if you hit us, we can hit back.” The general then said that “in the end, you care more about Los Angeles than you do about Taipei,” reported to the White House at the time as a threat to use nuclear weapons.
In 2005, Gen. Zhu Chenghu told reporters in Beijing that if the U.S. military used conventionally armed weapons on Chinese territory, “we will have to respond with nuclear weapons.”
China’s military has rebuffed all efforts to hold strategic nuclear talks. We have these types of meetings with Russia all the time. As recent as this January, the Chinese turned down an appeal from U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.
One of the greatest threats we face with China is one of pure economics. While China has cash reserves of $3.5 trillion, the U.S. is saddled with a debt load of $14.7 trillion. At some point, the American military may have to withdraw from the world stage simply from the lack of funds.
China has a key role to play in Bible prophecy. During the latter part of the Tribulation, an Oriental army of some 200 million strong will move into the Middle East, crossing over the dried-up Euphrates River. This army, guided by four demonic angels, will kill one-third of mankind.
"Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand (200 million): and I heard the number of them" (Revelation 9:14-16).
"And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared" (Revelation 16:12).
When John wrote down this prophecy, there weren’t 200 million people on the earth. China now has more than 1.4 billion citizens. What is really interesting is that China has now developed into an economic superpower that would allow it to outfit an army of such vast size.
I really believe that we are in the final stage of Bible prophecy. All the key players are on the field. The only thing needed is for the game to begin.
"So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled" (Matthew 24:33-34).