BEIJING – China’s second stealth fighter jet that was unveiled this week is part of a programme to transform China into the top regional military power, an expert on Asian security said on Friday.
The fighter, the J-31, made its maiden flight on Wednesday in the northeast province of Liaoning at a facility of the Shenyang Aircraft Corp which built it, according to Chinese media.
“This is the second entirely new fighter design that’s emerged from China in the last two years, which suggests a pretty impressive level of technical development, and puts them ahead, certainly, of all their regional neighbours,” said Sam Roggeveen, a security expert with the Lowy Institute in Sydney.
The Chinese military “has been extremely deliberate and well funded and persistent, and it’s starting to bear fruit”, Roggeveen said.
“What you’re now seeing since the early ’90s is the slow emergence of a first-class regional military power.” China’s Defence Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. China’s previous stealth fighter, the J-20, is a heavier aircraft and believed to be less manoeuvrable than the J-31.
China’s military capabilities lag far behind those of the United States, but China is seeking aggressively to boost its strength, including launching its first aircraft carrier, purchased from Ukraine, in September.
