Beijing (dpa) – China announced an increase of 11.2 percent in its annual military budget Sunday, following international concern over its growing defense spending in recent years. The draft defense budget for 2012 was set at 670 billion yuan (106.4 billion dollars) in 2012, up 11.2 percent from 2011, a spokesman for China's nominal parliament, the National People's Congress, said. The government says it needs the increased funds to modernize its 2.5-million-strong People's Liberation Army. But foreign politicians and analysts have raised concerns over the speed and transparency of its military expansion. Li Zhaoxing, the spokesman for the congress, said recent annual increases reflected “reasonable and appropriate growth of defense spending.” Li said China was committed to “peaceful development,” and he insisted the military buildup was merely defensive. The 3,000-member National People's Congress is scheduled to discuss and approve the national budget during its annual session, which begins on Monday. Some Western critics claim China's real military spending is up to three times the budget figure, but Li said the budget included the cost of all weapons systems. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/rL0iQ Tags: China, Expenditure, Military Section: East Asia, Latest News
