NPC & CPPCC) Double-digit rise in defense outlay
(03-05 08:48)
China's defense budget is set to rise 10.7 percent this year, state media said as the national legislature’s annual gathering opens in Beijing, a slight drop from a 11.2 percent increase in 2012.
“China plans to raise its defense budget by 10.7 percent to 720.2 billion yuan’’ in 2013, Xinhua said, citing a budget report that will be reviewed by the National People's Congress, the national legislature, AFP reports.
China's military budgets have risen steadily in recent years along with the country's booming economic growth, and experts say the actual totals are usually substantially higher than the publicly announced figures.
In a departure from normal practice, the legislature had declined to announce the 2013 defense budget at a press conference yesterday, when NPC spokeswoman Fu Ying responded with frustration when she was asked about the topic.
“It seems China has to explain every year to the outside world why we should strengthen national defense and why we should increase the military budget,'' Fu said.
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