CHINESE DEFENCE BUDGET 3 TIMES MORE THAN INDIA
Global recessionary trends haven’t affected the Chinese defence budget
China — as per its official figures — will be spending nearly thrice as much as India on defence, highlighting the fact that the Chinese dragon is focused on increasing its comprehensive national power despite global recessionary trends.
This is in contrast with India, which announced a marginal defence budget hike for 2013-14 while slashing the quantum of its defence Budget hike. India had also slashed its capital expenditure (money for weaponry and equipment for military modernisation) by `10,000 crore in the current financial year 2012-13.
The steep Chinese defence budget hike has left Indian defence analysts worried.
According to reports from Beijing on Tuesday, China has hiked its defence budget by 10.7 per cent to $115.7 billion which is almost thrice that of the Indian defence budget of about $37.4 billion for 2013-14.
A defence analyst — speaking on condition of anonymity — said “the hidden component of the Chinese defence budget is usually about 60 per cent which means that the actual Chinese defence budget could well be close to $180 billion”.
The analyst added, “The Chinese defence budget hike this time of 10 per cent is in conformity with the normal pattern of 10 per cent hike every year. This shows that the global recessionary trends do not seem to have affected the Chinese defence budget.”
In contrast, global recessionary trends seem to have cast their shadow on Indian defence spending. In fact, defence minister A.K. Antony had recently referred to the “difficult economic situation both at home and abroad” in the context of the Indian defence budget allocation.
Meanwhile, reacting to the Chinese defence budget hike, well-known defence analyst Commodore (Retd) C. Uday Bhaskar said, “China is taking its national security requirements in a very serious, focused and determined manner which is a contrast to the Indian example.
China is focusing on its trans-border military capability and this is of very deep strategic import.”
While the Chinese dragon continues to militarise, the Indian government is still to take a decision on approving the formation of a mountain strike-corps that will give the Indian Army offensive capabilities for the first time ever against China. Several important defence projects such as artillery acquisitions for the Army have also got repeatedly delayed. The IAF is looking forward to the induction of 126 fighter aircraft in the proposed MMRCA deal with French firm Dassault but the deal is yet to be signed. The Navy also needs more submarines, even as the much-awaited induction of the French-origin Scorpene submarines has been delayed.
According to defence ministry sources, China had — during the recent IndiaChina Annual Defence Dialogue in Beijing — expressed a desire to work more closely with India in strengthening defence ties and had apparently hinted that the bitterness of the 1962 war should be forgotten.