China dubs US' new B-21 stealth N-bomber a 'paper plane'

"Of course, what kind of weapons the US develops is its own business. But if its purpose is to threaten and intimidate China, it is doomed to be a daydreaming," China said.

Beijing, Dec 05: Just days after the US unveiled its newest nuclear stealth bomber, the B-21, the Chinese-state media has downplayed the aircraft and its significance, calling it a "propaganda sample".

"Weapons that are considered as 'assassin's mace' of major powers are kept strictly confidential, but the marketing and promotion of the B-21 are akin to 'internet celebrity'," Global Times said, clearly diluting and slamming the publicity around the stealth bomber.

B-21, 1st New Bomber in 3 decades:
The B-21 is the first new bomber in 30 years that comes with a price tag of $700m price per plane. The world's sixth-generation aircraft can carry both - nuclear and conventional weapons. The US Air Force plans to purchase at least 100 B-1 planes of which six planes are currently in production.

'Propaganda Sample'
According to the Global Times, the instruction of B-21 Raider is meant to gain more budget from the US Congress, by exaggerating the threats of China's military power. "Regardless of the actual technical level of the B-21, it is more like a "propaganda sample" that the US military-industrial complex needs to secure military budgets and for the military to push the so-called integrated deterrence against China," it said.

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin had said the B-21's edge will last for decades and it won't need logistical support to hold any target at risk, and the most sophisticated air defence systems would struggle to detect the stealth aircraft. "The B-21 Raider is a testament to America's enduring advantages in ingenuity and innovation. And it's proof of the Department's long-term commitment to building advanced capabilities that will fortify America's ability to deter aggression, today and into the future. Now, strengthening and sustaining U.S. deterrence is at the heart of our National Defence Strategy," said Austin.

'It will only become a paper airplane'
The China's state media mouthpiece in the editorial said it is easy to understand that the "so-called deterrence" is always a combination of military power and political determination. "During the Chinese civil war from 1945 to 1949 between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Kuomintang (KMT), did the US send advanced weapons to the KMT in small numbers? During the Korean War (1950-53) as well as the Vietnam War (1954-75), how much American equipment was reduced to scrap metal on the battlefield or seized as trophies?" it questioned.

"Of course, what kind of weapons the US develops is its own business. But if its purpose is to threaten and intimidate China, it is doomed to be a daydreaming. No matter how much the Pentagon relies on the B-21 when it tries to intervene in the cross-Straits affairs, it will only become a paper airplane that will be gently falling down in the face of the iron wall of the PLA and the strong will of the 1.4 billion Chinese people. Not only will B-21 fail to prove "US deterrence," but it will only become the latest proof on the showcase of source of American chaos," The Global Times concluded.