China’s defence budget to jump 17.8 pct in 2007

[helderheid]

4 March 2007


BEIJING - China will boost defence spending by 17.8 percent in 2007, accelerating the emerging power’s string of annual double-digit rises in money for a modern military that reflects its economic strength.

Jiang Enzhu, spokesman for the National People’s Congress, said on Sunday that the planned budget for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) this year was 350.92 billion yuan, or about $44.94 billion, an increase of 52.99 billion yuan on 2006.

China’s rising military spending since the 1990s followed many years of slimmed budgets and would not threaten other countries, Jiang said.

‘In recent years, China has steadily increased defence spending based on its economic development,’ Jiang told a news briefing. ‘China has neither the wherewithal nor the intention to enter into an arms race with any country, and China won’t constitute a threat to any country.’

But his assurances did not comfort Washington, which has repeatedly criticised China’s military spending as opaque, and were unlikely to sway neighbouring powers India and Japan, which have been lifting their own defence spending.

On Sunday, US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said it was not the budget increase itself that concerned the United States, but the lack of transparency in China over the intentions of its military rise.

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This was the FIRST story reported on this afternoon's Dutch news program.

[dkofos]

1. Should we be worried about them spending 45 Billion or the US

spending 10 times that much.

For me it is the latter.

[helderheid]

2. Both concern me.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. Well yeah, but thank gawd it is only "defense spending". n/t

[HysteryDiagnosis]

3. China's getting ready to defend against the occassional

terrahist. Gonna need all them fighter jets and intercontinental missiles to be sure.

[helderheid]

4. It may be time to start learning the language/