[Mariner]

The Bering Sea is a closer reach for them than Hawaii, or the US mainland.

Hainan to Hawaii is over 6,000 miles and not a friendly port in between.

Putting 3 Frigates in waters 2,500 miles from home with a friendly port 500 miles away is something the Iranian Navy could do. Yet the Chinese brag about it.

Just like they brag about all the very cool, anime-looking weapons they’re working on...as if they are widely deployed.

While still not being able to manufacture a high-performance jet engine that will run for more than 100 hours. Even when provided the detailed engineering plans.

[Zhang Fei]

[While still not being able to manufacture a high-performance jet engine that will run for more than 100 hours. Even when provided the detailed engineering plans.]

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Blueprints don’t show you how to make high performance alloys. And China’s starting from a low base, both in terms of defense industry knowhow and a budgetary standpoint. It has traditionally spent about 2% of GDP on defense. In 2000, its defense budget was just over $20b, compared to about $200b today, mirroring the eightfold increase in its national output since then. Anyway, it seems to have solved its engine problem, whether through re-inventing the wheel thanks to either the sheer weight of ever-expanding appropriation budgets, industrial espionage or the purchase of the relevant metallurgical expertise from a cash-strapped source nation (I’m guessing Russia or Ukraine):

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/2163126/engine-boost-chinas-j-15-fighter-jets-it-tries-build-navy

[Zhang Fei]

[Putting 3 Frigates in waters 2,500 miles from home with a friendly port 500 miles away is something the Iranian Navy could do. Yet the Chinese brag about it.]

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The Bering Gap is 4000 miles away from the nearest Chinese port. And I’ve read somewhere PLA Navy ships do not dock in Russian ports, which kind of makes me wonder how friendly these two countries really are. It’s understandable, given China’s expansive territorial ambitions. In addition, Russia’s and China’s most well-equipped units are positioned more or less opposite each other.