Air War College

China's Program of Weapons Modernization and Proliferation Air War College

China is changing its armed forces from a large, manpower-intensive force using low-to-medium technology weapons to a smaller, but more modem force. The Chinese are financing the conversion by shifting from a weapons export program based on ideology to one based on profit, with relatively few exceptions. They are using the profits to acquire high technology weapons from the former Soviet Union. This new approach has been successful, and their influence in Asia is growing.