Military spending to grow ‘about 10%’

BEIJING: China’s defence budget will rise by about 10% in 2015, Beijing said yesterday, extending a run of double-digit annual increases that reflects its broad military ambitions.

The estimate was announced by Fu Ying, a spokeswoman for China’s Communistcontrolled parliament, ahead of the figure’s official release today.

Beijing has for years been raising spending on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in double-digit steps, flexing its military and economic might as it asserts its claims in a series of territorial disputes with Tokyo and others.

Last year, a budget report prepared for the National People’s Congress (NPC) said that defence appropriations had risen 12.2% — a figure that raised eyebrows in the region and Washington.

“Now, I can reveal to you the general case, which is that the increase in proposed defence spending in the 2015 draft budget will be about 10%,” said Ms Fu.

The rise was in line with the central government’s overall spending growth, she added. China’s defence budget saw stated increases of 10.7% in 2013, 11.2% in 2012 and 12.7% in 2011.

Analysts believe China’s actual military spending is significantly higher than publicised, with the Pentagon estimating it at between US$135 billion (4.3 trillion baht) and $215 billion in 2012. China’s ruling Communist Party maintains that its military — the world’s largest — is aimed at securing peace rather than engaging in disputes with its neighbours over territory in the East and South China Seas.

Beijing also frequently defends China’s military rise by pointing to the “century of humiliation” the country endured during its partial occupation by European powers in the 19th century.

“Our lesson from history — those who fall behind will get bullied — this is something we will never forget,” Ms Fu told reporters.

“Our country will achieve modernisation, of which national defence modernisation is an important part,” she added.