When the war between India and China is raging, find out which country, how strong

New Delhi, Friday 19 June 2020

Tensions between the two countries are at an all-time high due to violent clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh. Given China's aggression and India's readiness to respond in its own language, the possibility of war cannot be completely ruled out. In such a situation, it is necessary to pay attention to the military strength of both the countries.

On paper, even though China may seem powerful because of more weapons, the truth is that war cannot be won by weapons alone. The kind of troops China needs is weak against India. India has more troops than just China, but their ability to fight in the mountains is unmatched. India's air force is also better than China's.

If we compare the defense budgets of the two countries, China is far ahead of India in this regard. In 2019, China spent 26 261 billion on the defense sector, while India's defense budget was 71 71.1 billion. Even though China has more weapons, India has a powerful land force of about 2 lakh 25 thousand, while China has a land force of 2 lakh to 2 lakh 30 thousand.

India's total strength is about 34 lakh while China has about 27 lakh. According to the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, the Indian Air Force is more powerful than China.

India has aircraft like Mirage 2000 and Sukhoi Su-30 which are Chinese J10, J11 and Su-27 aircraft. Comparing both, Indian Air Force is ahead. India has all-weather multi-role aircraft, while China has only J-10s.

Indian soldiers have more experience of war

The Indian military has more experience of war than China. India has fought many wars with neighboring Pakistan in the last few decades and has won all the wars. China lacks experience. The Chinese army last fought a war with Vietnam in 1979. India is stronger in the high battlefield.

India has several airbases on the Chinese border from where warplanes can fly. China's airbases in Tibet and Xinjiang are at higher altitudes. And due to difficult geography and weather, Chinese warplanes can fly with half payload and fuel.

India has built its bases near the border, with an emphasis on infrastructure, better command, communications systems and air defense systems. The Chinese Air Force uses 8 bases in the area, but most of them are civilian airspace. Refueling could make Chinese planes carry more payloads, but they don’t have more tankers.