When Stealth Matters, and Doesn’t

An attitude prevalent in Chinese military and political circles is that the United States lacks the will to come to the aid of its Pacific allies in the face of Chinese aggression, despite it possessing advanced military technology like stealth fighters, said Gordon Chang, author and China expert. In contrast, the Chinese may say they have the will, but the coming demise of the Chinese economy will prevent them from acquiring the sophisticated military equipment, like stealth fighters, that they desire to check the United States, said Chang during his Nov. 21 speech at AFA’s Pacific Air & Space Symposium in Los Angeles. “I do believe that the Chinese economy is pretty much at an end and they will not be able to afford their ambitions, whether it is a stealth fighter, or going to the moon, or you name it,” he said. Despite the “very sophisticated-looking” military aircraft emerging in China, the Chinese “have yet to be able to produce a jet engine, so they are now reliant on the Russians to do so, and I think they probably will remain that way,” he said.