China has unveiled its J-31 Stealth fighter jet and hopes the plane will be able to cut into the world market currently dominated by the United States’ F-35.
The J-31 is China’s second stealth fighter, and the Department of Defense reports it is about the “same size” as the F-35.
ABC.net reports the jet was built by the Aviation Industry Corp of China (Avic) and was demonstrated at an air show during the Asia-Pacific summit, which President Obama attended.
China Communist Party publications have been predicting the J-31 will make significant inroads into markets controlled by the F-35. And they are also looking at advantages J-31 sales can build in countries “cut off from US arms exports.”
Besides trade opportunities, the J-31 is expected to provide China with a way to broaden its reach militarily–and this means a “more assertive stance in the East China and South China seas.”
In November 2013, The Washington Post reported that China announced a new “air defense identification zone” over the Senkaku Islands–also claimed by Japan–in the East China Sea. And Breitbart News has previously reported that China is subsequently reclaiming reefs and constructing islands in South China Sea territories currently claimed by the Philippines.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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