tanks are by no means obsolete but its effectiveness lies in its role in combined arms combat and/or lack of enemy means to destory the tank(agressive manuvers comes after that 
). however in modern warfare, means of destroying the tank in either urban iraq or plains of russian steppe have increased dramatically(ie anti tank missles can be used by infantry, IFVs, Humvies, helicopters etc etc). although IFVs can fill in for the tank in a more efficent manner, in certain applications, its still better to use a tank, where the armor is needed for certain hot areas. therefore i think its more appropriate to keep the tank, in fewer numbers but enough to fight enemy armor at key points / to be used in a spearhead as i can see better means of destroying enemy tanks as long as u can stop its penetration roll. i am basically in agreement with posters before me that tanks are no longer the backbone and it all comes down to cost efficency and risks imho. i think the PLA are thinking similar things and are just currently prolonging its tanks by giving them upgrades until something solid comes up, say maybe hover attack platforms
to skywatcher:
the tank suffers in performance but its heavier than an APC or IFV and provides better(sometimes needed) protection to the crew. it will perform less in other areas but its design is based on the bigger picture. ie. u lose 2 more tanks but a company survives because of that.
). however in modern warfare, means of destroying the tank in either urban iraq or plains of russian steppe have increased dramatically(ie anti tank missles can be used by infantry, IFVs, Humvies, helicopters etc etc). although IFVs can fill in for the tank in a more efficent manner, in certain applications, its still better to use a tank, where the armor is needed for certain hot areas. therefore i think its more appropriate to keep the tank, in fewer numbers but enough to fight enemy armor at key points / to be used in a spearhead as i can see better means of destroying enemy tanks as long as u can stop its penetration roll. i am basically in agreement with posters before me that tanks are no longer the backbone and it all comes down to cost efficency and risks imho. i think the PLA are thinking similar things and are just currently prolonging its tanks by giving them upgrades until something solid comes up, say maybe hover attack platforms to skywatcher:
the tank suffers in performance but its heavier than an APC or IFV and provides better(sometimes needed) protection to the crew. it will perform less in other areas but its design is based on the bigger picture. ie. u lose 2 more tanks but a company survives because of that.
