China upset with WDMMA global air powers ranking that rated Indian Air Force above PLA Air Force?

A few days ago, the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft (WDMMA) ranked the Indian Air Force above China's People’s Liberation Army Air Force. India was ranked after the forces of the US and Russia, and just above China. While India had a 'TruVal Rating' (TVR) of 69.4, China had a rating of 63.8. 

The WDMMA takes into account specific categories of aircraft covering attack, logistics, special-mission, and general support to calculate the ranking and arrive at the TVR. Accordingly, the United States Air Force had a TVR of 242.9, followed by the US Navy at 142.4, the Russian Air Force  (114.2) the US Army (112.6) and the US Marines (85.3). India came next. 

The ranking, however, does not track unmanned aerial vehicles due to "discrepancies" regarding UAV reporting between countries and sources.

ALSO READ: How capable and efficient is India's LCA Tejas Mk1A fighter?

The WDMMA ranking was widely reported in Indian media; but it now appears that the rating and the reportage of it have not gone down well with China, which called it "hype". 

Chinese military affairs expert Zhang Junshe claimed that the annual WDMMA ranking should not be taken seriously. According to him, the battlefield capabilities of militaries, and not their "paper strength" constitute a proper comparison. 

WDMMA states that the air power is not merely assessed on the total quantity of the aircraft a country possesses, but categories like "special-mission, dedicated bomber force, training, and on-order units". It also focuses on local aero-industry capabilities, inventory balance and force experience.

However, according to a Global Times report, Zhang ascribed some ulterior motives to fueling this India-China competition. He warned that such a risky move could trigger a "dangerous spiral or miscalculation."

Defence