China will hike its defence budget by seven to eight per cent this year from about USD 145 billion in 2015 amidst its worst GDP growth in 26 years and an escalating military showdown with the US in the disputed South China Sea.
"China's military budget will continue to increase. But the increase will be smaller compared to last year. It will about seven to eight per cent," Fu Ying, spokesperson for the annual session of the national legislature the National People's Congress, (NPC) told media here.
The exact figure will be released in the work report to be presented by Premier Li Keqiang to the main legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC) tomorrow during which he will also release the new official target for China's economy which last year slipped to 6.9 per cent, the lowest in 26 years.
China's defence budget rose by 10.1 per cent last year amounting to around USD 145 billion based on the exchange rate of the Chinese and US currencies prevailing at that time.
That itself amounted to a three-fold rise against India's USD 40 billion.
The 7 to 8 per cent increase was expected to widen it further despite the 9.7 per cent increase taking India's defence budget to Rs 2.58 lakh crore proposed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his latest budget amounting to USD 40 billion. With the exclusion of the pensions the actual Indian defence budget was expected to come down further.
India's defence budget in dollar terms almost remains the same as last year's levels due to depreciation of the rupee.
The proposed increase in China's military budget comes in the backdrop of articles in the state media calling for increase to match the US defence budget of USD 599 billion.
Terming the increase as small, Fu said in formulating the defence budget China will take into consideration its defence needs, economic development and fiscal position.
She quoted President Xi Jinping's remarks last year that China's 2.3 million-strong military will faithfully fulfil its "sacred duty" of protecting the security of the nation and people's wellbeing and carry out the noble mission of upholding world peace.
"So the ongoing military reform is aimed at achieving this goal," she said.
"In the context of the United States' accelerated military deployment in the Asia-Pacific region, its strengthening of military alliances with countries in the region and increased military provocations in the SCS, it is only reasonable to make comparison between China's military spending and that of the US," state-run China Daily said in an editorial yesterday.
"A large military gap between China and the US is unfavourable to world peace, and may spark risky military moves from the US, the stronger party," it said.
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Fielding a variety of questions on foreign and domestic issues, Fu, a former Vice Minister of Foreign affairs minced no words in attacking the US which she said is primarily responsible for the militarisation of the Asia-Pacific, specially the South China Sea (SCS) which has become the new theatre of conflict between Beijing and Washington.
Some people have connected China with SCS issue and militarisation of the region. The issue of militarisation has been hyped up, and is misleading using the "language of hegemony" while blaming China for affecting freedom of navigation in the SCS, she said.
"Talking about the militarisation if we look at the advanced aircraft and ships entering the area, majority of them are from US," she said adding that it was Washington which decided to deploy 70 per cent of its naval assets under its pivot to Asia strategy.
"Isn't it militarisation?" she asked in reply, adding that the US wrongly accusing China of militarisation in the SCS waters is misleading.
Most Chinese lawmakers and ordinary people are not pleased and do not agree with the US showing off its military power by sending warships in waters close to the SCS islands and reefs, she said.
The US said it did not take sides in the South China Sea disputes, however, its acts and rhetoric make people feel that it is raising tensions in the region, Fu said.
"If the United States is really concerned about regional stability and peace, is should support negotiations between China and neighbouring countries," she said.
Fu defended China's construction projects in the islands and reefs of SCS which were objected to by a number of other claimants to the dispute. They are necessary for providing public services and strengthening China's capacities for safeguarding regional peace, she said.
China claims the whole of SCS as its own which has been objected to by Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan as they have counter claims over the area, stated to be rich in minerals and oil deposits.
China also has a long-running border dispute with India which has not been resolved either.
Deployment of missiles and other military equipment by China in the artificially built islands also drew ire from these countries.
Fu said China has never recognised some countries' illegal occupation of some islands and reefs, and its policy of putting aside disputes and seeking joint development is based on China's sovereignty over those islands and reefs.
As the islands and reefs are far from China, they should have defence capacities, but those efforts should not be described as militarisation, Fu added.
