International
Herald Tribune | ASIA-PACIFIC
Beijing increases defense spending

Largest increase in 5 years follows criticism from U.S.
By David Lague
Published: March 4, 2007

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BEIJING: China will raise its annual defense spending by almost 18 percent, the government announced Sunday, as it continues a rapid military buildup that has drawn criticism from the United States.

On the eve of the opening of the annual session of the Chinese Parliament, formally the National People's Congress, a parliamentary spokesman, Jiang Enzhu, said Chinese defense outlays would increase to 350 billion yuan, or $45 billion, this year.

The budget represents the largest increase in military spending in five years.

Jiang said China needed to spend more on its military to upgrade its "weak" armed forces and counter any Taiwanese move toward independence.