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LONDON — After nearly two decades of double-digit increases in its military budget, China announced a mere 7.5 percent jump in its defense budget this year. It was the first time since the 1980s that China’s defense spending had increased by a single-digit percentage. The Chinese government maintained that while this increase will be used to enhance China’s ability to meet various threats, the …
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&$ &$Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao answers questions during a press conference after the closing meeting of the Third Session of the 11th National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 14, 2010. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)&$ &$ Chinese’s Premier Wen Jiabao Sunday said the Obama administration should not lecture it how to manage its economy, widely thought …
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China is once again the country Congress loves to hate. After a lull last year, U.S. politicians jockeying ahead of crucial November elections have stepped up attacks on China as a way to win support from voters worried that the Asian power is taking American jobs.
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Agencies Caracas, March 14 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has formally taken the delivery of the first four airplanes out of 18 purchased from China for military training purposes, which, however, came armed with machine guns, air-to-ground missiles, bombs and rockets.
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BEIJING, March 14 — Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said today that external calls for yuan appreciation were unhelpful, vowing that Beijing would stick to its own course for currency reform while also warning of global economic risks. Blending his trademark folksy tone with assertiveness born of leading the world’s fastest-growing economy, Wen made clear that China would decide for itself whether …
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After an announced slowdown in official defence spending, China’s President Hu Jintao has told military commanders that defence modernisation remains a priority but must integrate with economic development, state media said.
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SINGAPORE — Not long before U.S. President Barack Obama held his low-key meeting in the White House with the exiled Tibetan leader last month, the Dalai Lama, a Chinese Embassy spokesman in Washington issued a statement on the talks and the U.S. decision to provide a new package of defensive arms to Taiwan. “China’s positions on issues like arms sales to Taiwan, and Tibet, have been consistent …
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BEIJING, March 13 — After an announced slowdown in official defence spending, China’s President Hu Jintao has told military commanders that defence modernisation remains a priority but must integrate with economic development, state media said. China held the rise in its military budget to 7.5 per cent in 2010 compared to spending in 2009, ending a succession of double-digit rises in spending on …
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BEIJING (Reuters) – After an announced slowdown in official defence spending, China’s President Hu Jintao has told military commanders that defence modernisation remains a priority but must integrate with economic development, state media said.
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President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo met here Friday with Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, to discuss the development of bilateral ties and military cooperation. Kabila said the DRC was satisfied with its cooperative partnership with China, and that Ma’s visit would be a new starting point for military cooperation …
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&$ &$Chinese President Hu Jintao, also chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech while attending a plenary meeting of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) deputies to the Third Session of the 11th National People’s Congress in Beijing, China, March 12, 2010. (Xinhua/Wang Jianmin)&$ &$ Chinese President Hu Jintao on Friday called on the armed forces to strengthen …
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What’s Your Reaction? BEIJING — China’s top Internet regulator insisted Friday that Google must obey its laws or “pay the consequences,” giving no sign of a possible compromise in their dispute over censorship and hacking.
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One of China’s top Internet regulators warned bluntly on Friday that any move by Google to stop censoring its Chinese search engine would be “irresponsible” and would draw a response from the Beijing government.
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The United States said China and Iran’s rights record had worsened as it raised the alarm about growing anti-Semitism worldwide and the discrimination of Muslims in Europe.
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A Chinese political advisor said in Beijing Thursday that it was “groundless” that some foreign media reports alleged China had hidden part of defense budget. Jia Yong, a member of the National Committee of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remarks when commenting on some foreign media reports that part of China’s military expenditure might have gone hidden as …
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March 12 (Bloomberg) — India, which has tripled its defense spending in a race against China’s military buildup, is having trouble converting the funding into weapons and equipment its military says are urgently needed.
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March 7 (Bloomberg) — China’s Foreign Minister said new sanctions aren’t the solution for halting Iran’s development of nuclear weapons, two days after one of his diplomats said China may vote for such measures at the United Nations.
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Mar.11 (China Military News cited from Time.com and written by Austin Ramzy) — For the past two decades, China’s rapid economic growth has been twinned with an even more rapid increase in military spending. While GDP has expanded by an annual average of 9.6% over the past 10 years, the reported budget for the People’s Liberation Army has grown by an average of 16%. So it was an unexpected surprise when Li Zhaoxing, a former foreign minister who is now spokesman for the National People’s Congress, announced on March 4 that China’s defense budget would increase by 7.5% for 2010, just over half of last year’s 14.9% rise.

The slowdown was partly attributed the difficult economic climate. While China was able to grow at 8.7% last year, that healthy rate came at the expense of $586 billion in stimulus spending. Last week Premier Wen Jiabao said that government spending would grow more slowly this year as Beijing seeks to control inflation while maintaining stable growth.

Amid those economic demands, another double-digit increase in military spending might be seen as excessive. But perhaps the most compelling reason for the slowdown in spending is that Chinese officials have become more cautious of the way the development of the People’s Liberation Army is perceived abroad. Last year China marked the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic with an Oct. 1 military parade in front of Tiananmen Square. While generally a cause for celebration in China, the parade of soldiers, tanks and missile carriers was seen as intimidating by many foreign observers.

Chinese military analysts have explained the rapid spending increase as normal for a large nation climbing out of decades of poverty. “Although China now has a growing military demand, it has always upheld the principle of peaceful development. The double-digit increases in the past should be interpreted as compensational growth,” says Zhao Zongjiu, deputy secretary-in-general at Shanghai Institute for International Strategic Studies, a government-backed think tank. “I predict that, given the current policy environment, the growth rate of military expenses will remain roughly on the same level as China’s GDP growth in the next few years.”

China’s 2010 military budget, which is awaiting legislative approval, will be $78 billion. That would make it second only to the United States, which for 2010 has a total budget of $663.8 billion. U.S. spending is equivalent to 4.7% of the nation’s GDP, while China’s defense outlay equals about 1.5% of its estimated 2010 GDP.

But military observers have long cautioned that China’s official defense budget figures shouldn’t be taken at face value, and that actual spending could be two or three times higher than what is reported. China is engaged in a significant number of expensive military equipment development programs, including likely efforts to develop its first aircraft carrier. Those all make it difficult to curtail spending, says Andrei Chang, Hong Kong-based editor-in-chief of Kanwa Defense Review Monthly. “There are very ambitious military plans for the Chinese,” he says. “This is the reason it’s impossible to have an increase of 7.5%.”

Improving ties with Taiwan have also lessened some of the military tension along China’s periphery. Beijing considers the self-ruled island a breakaway province that should ultimately be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. A more China-friendly leadership in Taipei has helped eased some of the fear of armed conflict. But the region still has the potential to be a flash point. Taiwan says China has some 1,500 missiles stationed along the Taiwan Strait. And a decision by U.S. President Obama in January to approve the sale of more than $6 billion in military equipment to Taiwan has angered the Chinese government, which has postponed some military exchanges with the U.S. in protest.

Chang also notes that China is just two years away from an expected reconfiguration of its leadership. President Hu Jintao is expected to step down, and will want to secure high positions for his political allies. Drastically curtailing defense spending could alienate the military, whose support he needs to ensure top spots for his proteges. “The new round of political power struggle is continuing,” Chang says. “You have to give souvenirs to the armed forces.”

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India, which has tripled its defense spending in a race against China’s military buildup, is having trouble converting the funding into weapons and equipment its military says are urgently needed.
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Mao Zedong may have used paintbrush and ink to write classic poems in calligraphy, but his grandson is firmly in the 21st century — micro-blogging by laptop from China’s annual session of parliament.
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