近20年来，中国大陆当局一直在大幅提升军费开支，军队的技术装备得到快速发展。澳洲媒体最近指出，随着大陆军方一些新型装备的曝光，外界不再认为中共军队装备落后，但仍然认为，大陆军方存在着诸多削弱战斗力的问题，总体软实力较弱。而中共当前对外的强硬姿态不过是外强中干。
澳大利亚《悉尼先驱晨报》日前报导指出，近年来中国军事装备的快速发展出乎美国意料，也让邻国感到震惊。美国情报部门承认，2011年中国隐形战斗机歼-20的首次试飞，和随后部署的东风-21D反舰弹道导弹，都出乎他们的意料。
美国国会研究处表示，中国正计划在2020年前，把海军战斗机数量增加到当前的3倍。去年(2012年)9月，中国首艘航母开始服役。与此同时，中国还在研制和量产7个型号的潜艇和军舰，其中包括战略核潜艇。此外，中共二炮部队拥有能够摧毁卫星的常规弹道导弹和数百枚核武器。
电视版国军向共军喊话
报导指出，世界上没有任何一个国家能够像中国一样，投入如此巨大的资金和人力，开展范围如此广泛的新项目。但大量新装备的服役，并不能保证中共军队拥有强大的战斗力，因为它还面临着许多削弱战斗力的问题。
时政评论家伍凡：〝现在没人相信共产主义了。军队里要求军队国家化、非党化、非政治化，一直在要求。军队里不愿走共产主义道路、不愿听共产党的话了。所以这就会削弱战斗力量。〞
时政评论家伍凡还对《新唐人》表示，20年前的伊拉克战争，中共对美国强大而先进的武力目瞪口呆，于是开始投入巨额军费进行追赶。到了现在，终于慢慢追上了一部分。但军内普遍贪腐的现象，严重影响了中共军队的战斗力。
伍凡：〝中共的腐败是世界有名的。但是中共军队，往往贪污腐败比地方官员还要多、还要厉害。你管不了它，地方政府管不了它，甚至于共产党都管不了它。〞
伍凡认为，这些军官没有信念，只是为了当官、发财，自然不会有战斗力。他同时指出，中国家庭现在普遍只有一个孩子，这样的孩子很娇气，也促使军队战斗力弱，外强中干。
《悉尼先驱晨报》报导，中共不惜冒着引发战争的危险，对外表现出强硬立场，在外界看来似乎不合情理;但实际情况是，中共利用操控外部局势，来转移国内的执政危机。
香港城市大学政治学教授郑宇硕：〝目前中国内部有‘意识形态真空’这样的情况，民族主义情绪很可能被利用来填补这个真空。〞
香港城市大学政治学教授郑宇硕还认为，在鼓吹利用〝民族主义〞的情况下，中共领导人在处理对日领土争端等问题上，自然需要有意展示一个比较强硬的姿态。
北京时政观察人华颇也表示，中共一直希望利用〝爱国主义〞大旗，来骗取民意。但现在这一招数已经越来越难以奏效。
北京时政观察人华颇：〝现在中国的民众非常有头脑、会思考。从这次芦山地震就看出来，这次芦山地震和5年前的汶川地震，民众态度真是截然相反。〞
华颇强调，芦山地震发生后，当局虽然也在不停作秀表演、煽情，想骗取民意，但民众对此并不买账。到最后，就连官方自己都觉得自吹自演很没意思，就这样，意在为中共脸上贴金的芦山救灾，不得不在非常平淡中草草收场。
采访/易如编辑/李谦后制/萧宇[page]
China’s Army Seen As Lacking in Soft Strength
For the past two decades, China has seen a speedy increase
In it’s military budget and development of military hardware.
An Australian media has commented that
the expansion in new military equipment shows that
China is no longer backward on military hard power.
The article indicates that growing doubts still exist
around China's actual fighting capabilities.
China’s army is seen as lacking in soft strength.
Observers are quoted:“They are nowhere near
as effective as they think they are.”
The Sydney Morning Herald recently reported that
“China has been surprising the US and shocking its
neighbors with the speedy development of new hardware.”
The article stated that“Top US intelligence analysts
and generals have admitted to being caught out
by the2011 flight-testing of China's new
J-20 stealth fighter.”
“They were dumbfounded by China's subsequent
deployment of the East Wind21D, the world’s first anti-ship ballistic missile.”
The SMH article said, according to the US Congressional
Research Service that“China is on track to
triple its fleet of maritime strike aircraft by2020.”
In September2012, China launched its first aircraft carrier.
Also, it is developing and producing
seven types of submarine and surface warships,
this includes production of newly developed
nuclear submarines.
The Second Artillery Force of the People's Liberation Army
owns a large number of conventional ballistic missiles,
capable of destroying satellites in space,
and owns hundreds of nuclear weapons.
The report cited a US expert on PLA technology.
He said that“No other great power today enjoys
China's ability to dedicate such vast amounts of capital
and personnel to such a wide range of new programs.''
The report states that“the PLA is gaining in terms of
hardware but there are growing doubts about China's actual fighting capabilities.”
(Critic) Wu Fan:“Nowadays there’re no one who
truly believes in communism.
China’s military have internal calls for nationalization,
for not being affiliated to the Party or politicized.
The army is no longer willing to follow the CCP’s orders.
This will undoubtedly weaken it’s effectiveness in battle."
Wu Fan adds that20 years ago in the period of the Iraq War,
the Chinese Communist Party(CCP) authorities were
stunned at the powerful military capabilities of the USA.
It thus began to pour huge money into
a huge military build-up.
It has now partially caught up with the US.
Yet all-pervasive military corruption has seriously
undermined fighting capacity, he says.
Wu Fan:“The CCP has always been infamous for corruption.
But corruption in the military is even more rampant and
more serious than that among local authorities.
It has been unchecked, as the military is not
under the administration of local authorities, even the CCP cannot stop it.”
According to Wu Fan, China’s army officers
have no righteous faith.
They only think of seeking official rank and wealth,
This lack of faith results in a weak fighting force.
Wu Fan says that China’s families have commonly
only one child,
children have grown up to be unmanly.
This is also contributing to weak combat capabilities.
The SMH article comments that it is not rational
for the CCP to show a tough stance,
and that this behavior risks sparking off a war externally.
It is in fact the CCP’s own manipulation,
to divert attention from the domestic political threat.
(Professor, City Univ. of Hong Kong) Joseph Yu-shek Cheng:
“There exists an‘ideological vacuum’ in today’s China.
So nationalist fervor is being used to fill this vacuum.”
Cheng remarks that the CCP leaders,
in agitating“nationalism”,
would naturally seek to take a tough position
on the territorial dispute with Japan.
Political observer, Hua Po, says that the CCP has
used“patriotism” to fraudulently gain public support.
He thinks that this tactic has become increasingly
difficult to accomplish.
Hua Po:“Today, Chinese people
are very smart and can think critically.
This can be seen in their attitude towards
the recent Lushan earthquake.
Compared to the Wenchuan quake five years ago,
Chinese civilians have reacted in the opposite manner.”
Hua Po adds that after the Lushan earthquake,
the CCP authorities have kept on grandstanding, trying to gain public support.
But the public just won’t buy it, he says,
the authorities’ dull show has fallen flat.