China is rapidly developing a highly modern military that will be the equal of Western armies with the ability to operate anywhere in the world.
Senior defence analysts said that within the next decade the country will have an army that will be second only to America's military might which could "embolden" it to military action.
The rapid growth of China's navy is matched by its desire to expand into the Indian Ocean and South China Sea to feed resources into its voracious economy.
The analysts, from Jane's Information Group, believe that the Chinese Communist Party can only continue to rule the country if it maintains economic growth at more than 10 per cent. It is already investing heavily in Africa for food and natural resources but this could lead to conflict with India with the trade route that crosses the Indian Ocean.
Within the next year the first navy pilots will begin training for aircraft carrier operations that are expected to be operational early in the next decade.
A London conference attended by defence business leaders was told that new air-to-air refuelling planes are being delivered that will double the range of the Chinese air force's increasingly modernised fighters.
The army has been substantially slimmed down into a leaner fighting force with new tanks and armoured vehicles coming off the production line.
"China is developing a modern highly manoeuvrable force able to operate anywhere as good if not better than Western armies," said Christopher Foss, editor of Jane's Armour and Artillery.
In the last 10 years China had made "dramatic progress, make no doubt about that," he warned.
But it is China's growing naval might that poses the greatest threat. By 2015 it is expected to have six Jin-class submarines capable of firing the JL2 ballistic nuclear missile that could threaten both the western and eastern American seaboards acting as deterrent to any US intervention if Taiwan or other areas erupted in conflict.
China's nuclear attack submarine force is expanding "quite considerably" with six T93 hunter killers and more than a dozen Kilo class boats.
Fast attack craft, each carrying eight anti-ship missiles, are to increase from 40 to 100 giving the navy "a considerable capability", the conference heard.
Christian Le Miere, editor of Jane's Intelligence Review, said China would fear America less if it had the threat of nuclear weapons off US waters with a "very capable military to back up diplomatic moves".
"People will keep an eye on China but there is no reason to think that conflict is inevitable," he said.
He added that the "greatest threat of violence" would come when China's military was fully revamped by 2020 and when it was "emboldened by military growth".
While there has been a "step change in capabilities" the Chinese navy is a considerable distance from US Navy which spends ten time China's budget building twice the number of vessels.
China, with an estimated defence budget of £35 billion, is currently on one of three countries developing a "fifth generation" advanced fighter called the J-XX that could be on a par with American planes although the project is highly secret.
Increasingly technology from European countries is being seen in Chinese equipment, the conference heard.
A major programme is in place to build 6,000 armoured vehicles at a cost of £7 billion that will include a "very advanced armoured package" of T99 tanks and the eight-wheeled VN1 armed with a 100mm gun, 30mm canon and 7.62mm machine gun.
As one of the "most significant vehicles" on the battlefield for the People's Liberation Army the 2,500 VN1 will be air transportable.
In recent years China has spent considerable sums on improving capability, new landing craft and special harbours. There had been a major build up of assault ships including 30 large tank landing craft that would allow long range operations.
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