Chinas Military Strength

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31139, 16 August 1966, Page 15

Chinas Military Strength

(N.Z. Press Assn. —Copyright) TAIPEI, August 15. China has apparently not increased its military forces in the last two years, in spite of the Vietnam war and Peking’s repeated charges that Washington is trying to provoke a war, the Associated Press reports. American and Chinese Nationalist . Intelligence sources on Formosa say the Chinese forces—army, air and navy—number just under three million men. This is about the same

strength they had before the United States started its air attacks on North Vietnam in February, 1965. The sources say there has been an improvement in the quality of the Chinese forces’ fire power, including the development of a nuclear bomb. But they have no more than 10 planes—all ancient 829-type Russian bombers—capable of carrying a nuclear bomb. Spare Parts In addition, the MoscowPeking dispute is depriving China of spare parts needed for its Russian MiGs and submarines. The American and Chinese Nationalist reports give this picture of China’s present military strength: The army has 2,540,000 men comprising 36 “infantry armies” (reinforced divisions) and 87 regular divisions.

These include three cavalry, six armoured, 21 artillery, two rocket, nine antiaircraft and 17 border divisions. On Russia’s Borders Almost all the border divisions are stationed in Manchuria and Sinkiang provinces on China’s borders with Russia. More than a million men are concentrated in east China on the coasts opposite Formosa, Quemoy and Matsu. Several hundred thousand are posted in south China near the Vietnamese border. One Chinese Nationalist intelligence source says unconfirmed information has been received that 100,000 of these men have been moved into North Vietnam in the last fe- months, but are being kept north of Hanoi. This source said the 100,000 are divided into two anti-air-craft, one infantry, and a transport division. Naval Strength China’s Navy has 1200 small vessels, including 32 submarines. But half the submarine fleet is idle because of the shortage of spare parts.

Navy forces of 211,000 men, include 120,000 marines and 25,000 coast artillery personnel. The main naval strength is in P.T- boats and fast gunboats. The air force has about 3000 planes, but about a third are grounded because of the parts shortage. The regular fleet includes 1360 Korean War vintage MiGlss and MiGl7s, and 62 more modern MiGl9s and MiG2ls. The Navy air arm has an additional 300 MiGl7s and MiGlss. The main bomber force is made up of 300 Soviet Ilyushin 28s. Training Needed United States intelligence official say the Chinese troops seem to be well fed and well clothed, with good training and good light arms, but weak in heavy material, logistical support and transport facilities. Besides the regular armed forces, China has militia forces believed to comprise about 20 million men and women. The intelligence sources feel that the militia forces must have considerably more training to become an effective field force.