By Leng Shumei Source:Global Times Published: 2017/6/7 18:48:39
China strongly opposes a US military power report that exaggerates China’s military spending and distorts China’s military developments.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a press conference Weednesday that China strongly opposes the report as it goes against facts, makes improper comments on developments in China’s military and territorial sovereignty.
Chinese experts said they believe the exaggeration serves to fuel the “China threat theory” in countries near China.
“China’s military-related spending for 2016 exceeded $180 billion” and its defense budget is expected to increase yearly by an average of 7 percent, growing to $260 billion by 2020, according to the US Defense Department’s 2017 China Military Power Report released on Tuesday.
The report said that “it is difficult to estimate actual military expenses, largely due to China’s poor accounting transparency.”
“It is an old US trick to use China’s military expenses and developments to hype the ‘China threat theory.’ It is aimed at justifying its own high military spending and sustain domestic confidence,” Xu Guangyu, a senior adviser to the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
National People’s Congress spokeswoman Fu Ying said in March military spending is projected to grow by around 7 percent in 2017, which accounts for around 1.3 percent of China’s GDP.
China’s military budget for 2016 was 954.35 billion yuan ($146.67 billion), around a fourth of the US’ $573 billion defense budget that year.