Americans have heard about China's military expansion for years at this point.
Some say it's a minor threat, others claim Chinese expansion is to everyone's benefit, and still others think it spells doom for American world dominance.
Here's a look at many of the weapons that China's betting on to establish its new military might.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) makes up the whole of China's military machine. The Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, and Second Artillery Corps all fall under the PLA.
The PLA is the world's largest military, with more than 2.25 million active personnel. Currently, Chinese forces are only deployed fighting piracy, so — while not battle-hardened — this army is fresh, well equipped, and in excellent health.
The Type 99 Main Battle Tank is the most advanced tank in all of China
The Type 99 is a third-generation Main Battle Tank (MBT) tank, like the American M1 Abrams.
The U.S. rolled out its MBT in 1980 and pays about $8.6 million for each one while the Type 99 sells for less than a third that price and went into production in 2001.
It's packing a 125mm cannon, three machine guns, and also hosts an array of countermeasures to disable an enemy tank's night vision and targeting systems.
The HQ-19 missile system can track up to 100 airborne targets at once
The HQ-19 is likely a complete version of the Russian S-400 Surface to Air Missile system.
Not only can the HQ's radar track 100 airborne targets, engage up to a dozen as far out as 250 miles, it is also effective for attacks on low-orbit satellites.
The system has three missile variations for targeting at different ranges and they can all be fitted into the same truck mounted canisters.
One thing prompting the recent American scramble to upgrade or replace the Patriot system is the fact that the S-400 is — allegedly, arguably, possibly, etc — a lot better.
The PGZ-95 anti-aircraft system fires up to 800 25mm rounds a minute
This self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery (SPAAA) has four 25 mm cannons, and four infrared homing missiles effective to almost 11,500 feet.
The vehicle weighs 22 tons, is 20 ft long, has a crew of three and cannon can be brought to bear on ground targets making short work of light armored fighting vehicles.
A simple PGZ-95 battery consists of six units led by a command vehicle and three resupply trucks.
The PGZ 95 is manufactured by Chinese Defense powerhouse Norinco, and is another example of the homegrown Chinese engineering making China a genuine military power.
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