...as China boosts spending

CHINA will boost its military spending by more than 7 per cent this year amid warnings of ‘escalating’ external threats.

At the National People’s Congress annual session yesterday, it was announced that Beijing’s defence budget of around £186billion would be increased to bolster ‘preparedness’.

Outgoing Premier Li Keqiang said ‘external attempts to suppress and contain China are escalating’. He added: ‘The armed forces should intensify military training and preparedness across the board.’

Government spokesman Wang Chao told reporters before that the budget was an ‘appropriate and reasonable’ amount.

China’s huge capacity and Russia’s massive expenditures of artillery shells and other materiel in its attack on Ukraine have raised concerns that Beijing may provide Moscow with military assistance.