{"id":4507,"date":"2023-03-04T15:53:55","date_gmt":"2023-03-04T15:53:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=4507"},"modified":"2023-03-23T18:51:18","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:51:18","slug":"china-defense-boost-to-meet-complex-security-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/diplomatic-world\/china-defense-boost-to-meet-complex-security-challenges\/2023\/03\/04\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"China: Defense boost to meet \u2018complex security challenges\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

BEIJING<\/span> (AFP)<\/span> –<\/span> China’s<\/span> defense<\/span> budget<\/span> increase<\/span> is<\/span> “appropriate<\/span> and<\/span> reasonable”<\/span> and<\/span> aimed<\/span> at<\/span> addressing<\/span> “complex<\/span> security<\/span> challenges”,<\/span> a<\/span> spokesman<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> country’s<\/span> Stamp<\/span> Assembly<\/span> said<\/span> on<\/span> Saturday.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Wang<\/span> Chao<\/span> declined<\/span> to<\/span> say<\/span> whether<\/span> the<\/span> growth<\/span> rate<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> announced<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> opening<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> annual<\/span> meeting<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> National<\/span> People’s<\/span> Congress<\/span> on<\/span> Sunday<\/span> will<\/span> be<\/span> higher<\/span> or<\/span> lower<\/span> than<\/span> last<\/span> year’s<\/span> 7.1%.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>But<\/span> the<\/span> defense<\/span> budget’s<\/span> share<\/span> of<\/span> GDP<\/span> remains<\/span> stable,<\/span> and<\/span> China’s<\/span> military<\/span> modernization<\/span> “does<\/span> not<\/span> pose<\/span> a<\/span> threat<\/span> to<\/span> any<\/span> country,”<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“On<\/span> the<\/span> contrary,<\/span> it<\/span> is<\/span> nothing<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> a<\/span> positive<\/span> force<\/span> to<\/span> safeguard<\/span> regional<\/span> stability<\/span> and<\/span> world<\/span> peace,”<\/span> Wang<\/span> said<\/span> at<\/span> a<\/span> press<\/span> conference.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cIncreased<\/span> defense<\/span> spending<\/span> is<\/span> necessary<\/span> to<\/span> meet<\/span> complex<\/span> security<\/span> challenges<\/span> and<\/span> enable<\/span> China<\/span> to<\/span> fulfill<\/span> its<\/span> responsibilities<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> great<\/span> power,\u201d<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“China’s<\/span> defense<\/span> spending…<\/span> is<\/span> lower<\/span> than<\/span> the<\/span> global<\/span> average<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> increase<\/span> is<\/span> appropriate<\/span> and<\/span> reasonable,”<\/span> Wang<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>China’s<\/span> budget<\/span> last<\/span> year<\/span> was<\/span> 1.45<\/span> trillion<\/span> yuan<\/span> (he<\/span> was<\/span> US$229<\/span> billion<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> time),<\/span> nearly<\/span> double<\/span> the<\/span> 2013<\/span> budget.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> addition<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> world’s<\/span> largest<\/span> standing<\/span> army,<\/span> China<\/span> has<\/span> the<\/span> world’s<\/span> largest<\/span> navy<\/span> and<\/span> recently<\/span> launched<\/span> a<\/span> third<\/span> aircraft<\/span> carrier.<\/span> It<\/span> boasts<\/span> a<\/span> vast<\/span> arsenal<\/span> of<\/span> missiles,<\/span> along<\/span> with<\/span> stealth<\/span> aircraft,<\/span> nuclear-capable<\/span> bombers,<\/span> advanced<\/span> surface<\/span> ships,<\/span> and<\/span> nuclear-powered<\/span> submarines.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>China<\/span> has<\/span> already<\/span> established<\/span> a<\/span> foreign<\/span> military<\/span> base<\/span> in<\/span> Djibouti,<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Horn<\/span> of<\/span> Africa,<\/span> and<\/span> is<\/span> remodeling<\/span> the<\/span> Reem<\/span> Naval<\/span> Base<\/span> in<\/span> Cambodia.<\/span> This<\/span> could<\/span> lead<\/span> to<\/span> at<\/span> least<\/span> a<\/span> semi-permanent<\/span> existence<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Gulf<\/span> of<\/span> Thailand,<\/span> across<\/span> the<\/span> disputed<\/span> South<\/span> China<\/span> Sea.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> modernization<\/span> effort<\/span> has<\/span> raised<\/span> concerns<\/span> among<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> States<\/span> and<\/span> its<\/span> allies,<\/span> particularly<\/span> Taiwan,<\/span> an<\/span> island<\/span> self-governing<\/span> democracy<\/span> that<\/span> claims<\/span> China,<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> brought<\/span> under<\/span> control<\/span> by<\/span> force<\/span> if<\/span> necessary.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>This<\/span> has<\/span> led<\/span> to<\/span> steady<\/span> sales<\/span> of<\/span> weapons<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> island,<\/span> including<\/span> ground<\/span> systems,<\/span> air<\/span> defense<\/span> missiles<\/span> and<\/span> F-16<\/span> fighter<\/span> jets.<\/span> Taiwan<\/span> itself<\/span> has<\/span> also<\/span> recently<\/span> extended<\/span> its<\/span> conscription<\/span> period<\/span> from<\/span> her<\/span> four<\/span> months<\/span> to<\/span> her<\/span> one<\/span> year<\/span> and<\/span> revitalized<\/span> its<\/span> own<\/span> defense<\/span> industry,<\/span> including<\/span> building<\/span> submarines<\/span> first.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Although<\/span> no<\/span> longer<\/span> increasing<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> double-digit<\/span> annual<\/span> percentage<\/span> rates<\/span> of<\/span> past<\/span> decades,<\/span> China’s<\/span> defense<\/span> spending<\/span> has<\/span> remained<\/span> relatively<\/span> high<\/span> despite<\/span> skyrocketing<\/span> levels<\/span> of<\/span> government<\/span> debt<\/span> and<\/span> an<\/span> economy<\/span> that<\/span> grew<\/span> last<\/span> year<\/span> at<\/span> its<\/span> second-lowest<\/span> level<\/span> in<\/span> at<\/span> least<\/span> four<\/span> decades.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> government<\/span> says<\/span> most<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> spending<\/span> increases<\/span> will<\/span> go<\/span> toward<\/span> improving<\/span> welfare<\/span> for<\/span> troops.<\/span> Observers<\/span> say<\/span> the<\/span> budget<\/span> omits<\/span> much<\/span> of<\/span> China’s<\/span> spending<\/span> on<\/span> weaponry,<\/span> most<\/span> of<\/span> which<\/span> is<\/span> developed<\/span> domestically<\/span> after<\/span> years<\/span> of<\/span> large-scale<\/span> imports<\/span> from<\/span> Russia.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>China’s<\/span> huge<\/span> capacity<\/span> and<\/span> Russia’s<\/span> massive<\/span> expenditures<\/span> of<\/span> artillery<\/span> shells<\/span> and<\/span> other<\/span> materiel<\/span> in<\/span> its<\/span> war<\/span> on<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> have<\/span> raised<\/span> concerns<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> U.S.<\/span> and<\/span> elsewhere<\/span> that<\/span> Beijing<\/span> may<\/span> provide<\/span> Moscow<\/span> with<\/span> military<\/span> assistance.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Speaking<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> G-20<\/span> meeting<\/span> in<\/span> India<\/span> on<\/span> Friday,<\/span> U.S.<\/span> Secretary<\/span> of<\/span> State<\/span> Antony<\/span> Blinken<\/span> said<\/span> that<\/span> were<\/span> China<\/span> to<\/span> engage<\/span> in<\/span> \u201cmaterial,<\/span> lethal<\/span> support<\/span> for<\/span> Russia’s<\/span> aggression<\/span> or<\/span> were<\/span> to<\/span> engage<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> systematic<\/span> evasion<\/span> of<\/span> sanctions<\/span> to<\/span> help<\/span> Russia,<\/span> that<\/span> would<\/span> be<\/span> a<\/span> serious<\/span> problem<\/span> for<\/span> our<\/span> countries.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cWe’ve<\/span> not<\/span> seen<\/span> it<\/span> do<\/span> that<\/span> yet,<\/span> but<\/span> we’ve<\/span> seen<\/span> it<\/span> considering<\/span> that<\/span> proposition<\/span> and<\/span> we<\/span> made<\/span> it<\/span> clear<\/span> that<\/span> engaging<\/span> in<\/span> these<\/span> behaviors<\/span> would<\/span> have<\/span> consequences,”<\/span> said<\/span> Blinken.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BEIJING (AFP) – China’s defense budget increase is “appropriate and reasonable” and aimed at addressing “complex security challenges”, a spokesman for the country’s Stamp Assembly said on Saturday. Wang Chao declined to say whether the growth rate to be announced at the opening of the annual meeting of the National People’s Congress on Sunday will […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4508,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[24,26,280,2407,2425,2480,2482],"tags":[152,1309,1455,1456,1457,1458],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/chin.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4507"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4507"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4509,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4507\/revisions\/4509"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}