Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a strong rebuke Wednesday of China’s sweeping use of coercive measures and urged NATO allies to work with the U.S. in order to mount pushback on Beijing.
“There’s no question that Beijing’s coercive behavior threatens our collective security and prosperity and that it is actively working to undercut the rules of the international system and the values we and our allies share,” Blinken said after holding two days of consultations with NATO allies.
“The rise of China has direct consequences to our security,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. “They will soon have the biggest economy in the world, they already have the second largest defense budget, they are investing heavily in new modern military capabilities, including nuclear capabilities, they are modernizing their armed forces. And perhaps most importantly, China is a country that doesn’t share our values,” he also added.
Who has the biggest army between China and U.S.?
China has the largest armed forces in the world by active duty military personnel, with about 2.19 millions active soldiers. India, the United States, North Korea, and Russia rounded out the top five largest armies respectively, each with over one million active military personnel.
The communist superpower has an estimated active personnel of 2,183,000 – the largest in the world. China has been building out its Navy in recent years while engaging in territorial disputes across the South China Sea. Today, they have 74 submarines, 52 frigates and 36 destroyers, Global Firepower says. On land, China has 33,000 armored vehicles and 3,500 tanks. Their Air Force has amassed 1,232 fighter aircraft and 281 attack helicopters. China is estimated to spend $237 billion on its armed forces in 2020.
Despite the numbers of Chinese ‘active personnel’, the U.S. “retains its top spot as the undisputed military power in the world,” Global Firepower says. America has more air units than any other country on Earth, with 2,085 fighters, 967 attack helicopters, 945 transports and 742 special mission aircraft. The U.S. also leads the world with 39,253 armored vehicles, 91 Navy destroyers, and 20 aircraft carriers. It has an estimated 1,400,000 active personnel. Washington has allocated $750 billion to the U.S. military budget in 2020.
