BEIJING – During the celebrations of the Army Day on August 1, 2018, theChinese military released a video in an apparent move to send out a messageto its adversaries. The 2:20-minute long video shows Chinese soldiersleaving for war with their families giving them a tearful sendoff.

China latest and most lethal weapons including nuclear missiles, fighterjets, tanks and an aircraft carrier group have been featured in the video.

China’s defence forces are divided into the People’s Liberation Army (PLA),People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy), People’s Liberation Army AirForce (PLAAF), Rocket Force, Strategic Support Force, and is led byPresident Xi Jinping, who is also the Chairman of the Central MilitaryCommission.

Its defence force is the world’s largest military, and in recent years hasbeen on an overdrive to modernise.

China’s 2018 military budget is $215 billion and there are almost 23 lakhactive personnel in its defence forces. Its army has 9,150 tanks, 4,788armoured fighting vehicles (AFV), 9,726 artillery, 1,710 self-propelledguns and 1,770 rocket artillery.

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force operates 3,729 aircraft including1,199 fighters, 567 planes which can have multirole, 300 attack jets and1,627 helicopters.

The PLA Navy has 749 vessels including one aircraft carrier, 32 destroyers,51 frigates, 32 corvettes and 73 submarines of which 20 are nuclearpowered. China also possesses a vast array of missiles includingnuclear-tipped ones capable of hitting targets well over 10,000 kilometresaway. It is also developing hypersonic rockets and planes.

China celebrates Army Day on August 1 as the People’s Liberation Army wasformed on August 1, 1927, although it was then called the workers andpeasants revolutionary army. The force got its current name People’sLiberation Army in 1946.