China defends over 11 percent defence budget increase

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Beijing, Mar.30: China’s Defence Ministry on Friday defended the government’s decision to raise the defence budget by 11.2 percent, saying much of it would go towards paying the increased salaries of soldiers, for training, exercises and for acquiring new equipment.

State media quoted defence ministry spokesman Yang Yujun, as saying that the defence budget increase was reasonable and should be viewed objectively.

China’s military budget for fiscal 2012-13 is 670 billion Yuan or 106 billion dollars.

Yang said it is a natural requirement for China to raise the military budget to safeguard national security and the increase was in accordance with the level of China’s economic and social development.

There was need to keep the salaries of officers and soldiers in line with the improvement of living standards, he added.

Chinese military spending only accounted for 1.28 per cent of China’s total GDP in 2011, and the budget for 2012 is one sixth of that of the United States, Yang said. (ANI)