According to an international affairs expert who spoke to ‘Sky News Arabia’, there are hurdles the Chinese military faces in storming the island, in addition to the skill of a skilled workforce. work that has not undergone any military test since 1979, suggesting that Beijing will resort to the creation of combat companies to bring in professional fighters like the Russian “Wagner” company.
Newspapers in the United States and Europe occasionally publish information about the poor combat effectiveness of the Chinese soldier, especially in a protracted war. For years, China has sought to amplify its arsenal of weapons more than to develop the capabilities of individuals.
Recently, British newspaper “The Guardian” reported that although Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered the military to prepare to invade Taiwan by 2027, his country is suffering from a lack of combat capabilities.
chinese army capabilities
China’s military ranks third in the world in military might rankings, according to the “Global Fire Power” website, but it ranks first in numbers, with more than two million active. Its naval fleet is the largest with about 355 active ships against 296 for the US Navy. In 2021, the European Union said China is expanding its naval fleet by the equivalent of the entire French Navy every 4 years, which some have suggested as preparation. for the invasion of Taiwan, which will depend on its naval encirclement.
weakness
Despite all the military, technological and material capabilities available to the Chinese military, the manpower available to Beijing may not be sufficient to wage a broader war in Taiwan.
Among the indicators of this:
In early April, the Chinese government revised its conscription laws to allow retirees to re-enlist. The new amendments include specific provisions for wartime, including measures to rapidly increase the number of troops. Blake Herzinger, a former US Navy intelligence officer and analyst at the Center for US Studies, comments that the Chinese military suffers from issues such as corruption and a rigid command structure, complicating matters with the outbreak of war . Chinese leaders are well aware of these challenges, according to Herzinger, and are focused on improving the quality of their forces to become more self-sufficient in armaments, while developing the capabilities of their workforces.
russian way
International relations expert Jasser Matar agrees that China “may indeed have a major crisis in the abilities of its military personnel to engage in open warfare with Taiwan.â€
In turn, this crisis is deduced by:
Beijing sensed this danger. Therefore, I have worked to intensify drills and maneuvers that simulate the capture of Taiwan. China will not risk a war against Taiwan until it is ready, and it can resort to the Russian solution, that is, the creation of a combat company that attracts qualified fighters to carry out missions inside and outside the borders, on the way to the Russian company “Wagner”. China’s new conscription law allowing retired combatants to return to service could be the door to implementing this ordinance.
Matar sees it as a way to confirm military cooperation between Russia and China, as he has not ruled out Moscow supplying Beijing with technology from combat companies such as Wagner.
However, the establishment of such a company in China can also cause crises, with disputes arising between it and the regular army, similar to the crises that arose between “Wagner” and the Chinese army, and threaten time to another the course of hostilities. in Ukraine.
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