America will ignore this show of force at its perilThe People's Liberation Army (PLA) modernisation process, which began in the early nineties but accelerated and broadened under President Xi Jinping, is seeing China move determinedly towards its goal of having a world-class military by 2035. China, along with Russia, have a lead over the US in hypersonic weapons - missile systems which deliver a warhead at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound. The DF-17 missile may carry either a nuclear or conventional warhead, and its speed is such that no defence against this weapon exists. This parade was a warning that Western states ignore at their peril. Malcolm Davis is a senior analyst in defence and strategy capability at the Australian Strategic Policy InstituteIrish Independent

Source: Irish Independent October 02, 2019 01:41 UTC