Proposed Rise of Military Spending Normal and Necessary: NPC Deputy

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, March 08, 2002

Proposed Rise of Military Spending Normal and Necessary: NPC Deputy

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"To fulfill the task of safeguarding China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, it is normal and necessary for an appropriate amount of military expenditure to be increased following a growth of the national economy." These are the words of Cai Renshan, a PLA deputy after hearing the report on China 2002 budget plan at the Great Hall of the People on March 6.

In his report, Minister of Finance Xiang Huaicheng announced a 17.6 per cent increase or RMB25.2 billion yuan (US$3.04 billion) in the central defense budget for 2002 at the ongoing Fifth Session of the 9th NPC.

"As shown by a cartoon on your newspaper, with only the knickers on him, a soldier is waiting for the dripping uniform to become dry for he has only one suit," Lieutenant-General Cai Renshan told a foreign reporter. "Although it is exaggerated, our soldiers and officers in deed live a hard life. How can we raise the living standard and salaries of our soldiers and officers without a raise".

Cai also pointed out that as a developing country China is still at a fairly low level in GNP and the newly added expenditure on national defense is far less than is actually needed. Compared with the US, its military spending adds up to US$379.3 billion to show US$48 billion more than the previous year in the way China' national defense budget for 2002 is even less than US's newly added sum".

Furthermore, deputy Cai hit out at some foreign media and politicians exaggerating the significance of China's increased defense spending in backing up their "China threat'' fallacy. These people have ulterior motives in using such an excuse for blocking China's development. Cai noted that China, as a peace-loving country seeking no world hegemony, has neither the need nor the ambition to invade other countries.

China's Defense Budget to Rise by 17.6 Percent: Minister

China will increase its defense expenditures for national defense by 25.2 billion yuan this year, an increase of 17.6 percent from last year, Finance Minister Xiang Huaicheng said Wednesday.

Xiang made the remark while delivering the Report on the Implementation of the Central and Local Budgets for 2001 and on the Draft Central and Local Budgets for 2002, at the on-going annual session of the National People's Congress.

He said China will appropriately increase expenditures for national defense to utilize modern technology, especially high technology to raise the army's defense and combat capabilities, safeguard the national sovereignty and territorial integrity and adapt to changes in the international situation.

The government will also appropriately raise the salaries of officers, noncommissioned officers and office staff on the regular payroll, the subsidies for compulsory servicemen and the pensions for retired servicemen, he said.

By PD Online staff member Huang Ying

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