BEIJING: China’s increase in military spending for 2018, the biggest rise in three years, was proportionate and low, and Beijing had not been goaded into an arms race with the United States, state media said on Tuesday.
China on Monday unveiled an 8.1 percent rise in defence spending at the opening of parliament, fuelling an ambitious military modernisation programme and making its neighbours, particularly Japan and self-ruled Taiwan, nervous.
In an editorial, the official China Daily said the figure had prompted “finger-pointing from the usual suspects”.“China’s defence budget is neither the largest in size - it accounts for just one-fourth of the military spending of the United States - nor does it have the fastest growth rate,” the English-language newspaper said.
“And if calculated in per capita terms, China’s military lags well behind other major countries.“The defence spending figure is closely watched worldwide for clues to China’s strategic intentions as it develops new military capabilities, including stealth fighters, aircraft carriers and anti-satellite missiles.
Commander of the USNavy’s Pacific Fleet Admiral Scott Swift described China’s lack of transparency as “troubling.“”There are a lot of questions on the minds of countries in the region and extending beyond the region of what exactly does this mean.
People shouldn’t be left guessing as to exactly what the objective of these increases is,” he said at a press roundtable in Tokyo where he is meeting Japanese officials.China insists its military spending is transparent and that it poses a threat to nobody, simply needing to update old equipment and defend its legitimate interests, even as it is increasingly assertive over disputes in the East and South China Seas and on self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims.
In the East and South China Seas, China is simply trying to stand up for itself, the China Daily said.“The country has seen its maritime interests being increasingly infringed upon in recent years, and thus seeking a stronger military is natural for it to safeguard its interests and counter any threat that may materialise from the aggressive posturing of others upset by its rise.
“China has seen the United States as its biggest potential security threat, alarming Beijing with freedom of navigation patrols in the South China Sea the United States calling China a strategic competitor.
from The News International - World
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