EDITORS PLEASE NOTE THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL On land, and at sea . China is showing off its growing might in Asia - the result of a hefty increase in military spending over the past decade. Top brass were also highly visible at this year's Party Congress, which unveiled China's new leadership and handed oversight of the military to incoming president Xi Jinping. Xi now oversees the largest fighting force in the world - some 2.3 million soldiers - in branches such as the Air Force, Navy and People's Armed Police. Richard Bitzinger is a senior research fellow in defence: (SOUNDBITE) (English) SENIOR FELLOW, NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, RICHARD BITZINGER, SAYING: "Of course China is becoming more hawkish. In general, I think over the last decade we've seen them adding a lot more new weapon systems to their arsenal, greatly upgrading the PLA military, and this has been matched at the same time by I suppose what you could politely call a new assertiveness." A host of fresh names are joining the top ranks of the PLA just as territorial disputes heat up. Most have risen through the ranks over the past two decades, as China has invested in training and technology to build a more professional force: (SOUNDBITE) (English) SENIOR FELLOW, NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, RICHARD BITZINGER, SAYING: "I think that you find these new leaders are perhaps more professional, perhaps more sophisticated compared to the old PLA leadership. You see them increasingly prepared to throw down markers so to speak, declaring for example that China exerts sovereignty however they define that in the South China Sea, backing this up with new military developments in the region." (SOUNDBITE) (English) REUTERS REPORTER, TARA JOSEPH, SAYING: "No one exemplifies China's new "hawkishness" more than major general Luo Yuan - known for his hardline nationalist views. Chinese and Japanese forces have exchanged blows before," he says. Nowadays China's defense forces have achieved advances that nobody can belittle." China shows off its new and first aircraft carrier - another sign the country will continue to flex its muscle in the region. It's also opened a military garrison on a disputed island in the South China Sea. And with drills becoming a regular occurence across the Pacific, China's military ambitions look set to take off.