China defends defense budget, three times more than India's

Last year, China increased its defense budget by 8.1%, bringing its declared defense spending to US $ 175 billion, three times that of India.

China defends defense budget, three times more than India's

Beijing:

China, the second largest military investor in the world after the United States, defended its massive security allocation on Monday and suggested that it would be even more important this year, claiming that the country did not pose a "threat" to others.

Last year, China increased its defense budget by 8.1%, bringing its declared defense spending to US $ 175 billion, three times that of India.

The details of the exact amount should be announced on Tuesday by Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang in his working report to the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC).

However, AFN spokesman Zhang Yesui, at his pre-press conference on Monday, fervently defended China's heavy defense spending, claiming that it is even less in comparison to the military spending of other "big developing countries."

"Whether or not one country poses a military threat to others is not determined by the increase in defence spending, but by the national and foreign defence policy it adopts," Zhang said.

China's defense spending has remained at a one-to-one figure since 2016, despite double-digit growth in the previous five years, he said of misgivings about China's defense spending.

Compared to other countries, China's defense budget accounted for 1.3% of GDP. Major developing countries have devoted 2% of their GDP to defence, Zhang said.

"China remains committed, as always, to peaceful development and we pursue a defensive national defense policy. China's limited defense spending is aimed at preserving the country's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. This is not a threat to other countries", he said. .

Last year, the US Congress passed a huge US $ 717 billion defense spending bill for fiscal year 2019.

India's defense budget this year was increased by 6.87% to Rs. 3.18 lakh crore against the SR allowance last year. 2.98 lakh crore, despite expectations of a sharp increase when China and Pakistan strengthened their military capabilities.

In recent years, China has resorted to major reforms of its army, including prioritizing the expansion of its navy and Air Force to strengthen its influence abroad, while reducing the number of people's Liberation Army (PLA) troops by three lakh.

Even after the cuts, the PLA is the largest army in the world with two million in its ranks.

Under this new policy, China now has an aircraft carrier, one under test and a third under construction.

The state media announced that China is planning to install five aircraft carriers soon and to build nuclear aircraft carriers like the United States. It also quickly added new warships and submarines.