OPINION> Commentary
Military budget increase normal, not aggressive
By Wei He (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-09 07:40

At the ongoing session of the 11th National People's Conference (NPC), spokesman Li Zhaoxing announced the country's military expenditure would top 480.68 billion yuan this year, an increase of 62.48 billion yuan or 14.9 percent, over last year. The increase has once again put the country's military in the international spotlight.

China's defense spending has long been within a moderate growth range.

The annual double-digit spending increase of recent years is mainly aimed at making up for the military inadequacies of past decades. Statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics show the country's expenditure increased 1.23 percent year on year from 1979-89, with an annual negative six percent growth compared with the yearly 7.49 percent consumer price index (CPI) growth. The average growth rate stood at 6.1 percent from 1990-97.

The country has increased military input by a big margin since 1998 to address long-term inadequacies.

However, compared with its economic aggregate, China's current defense expenditure should not alarm the rest of the world. Data released by the ongoing NPC session indicate that this year's military expenditure only accounts for 6.4 percent of the nation's total budget, marking a proportional decline from previous years.

Meanwhile, investment in education, healthcare, social security, employment, environmental protection, and construction of government-funded housing, was slated to grow 22.5 percent, 20.9 percent, 23.1 percent, 22.3 percent and 199.9 percent respectively.

Compared with other major countries such as the US, Britain, France, Russia and Japan, China's military spending remains comparatively low.

It is completely reasonable for it to proportionally increase its military budget. As a developing socialist country yet to realize final national reunification, China has the world's largest population and a vast land mass, with 32,000 km of coastal line and a land border stretching 22,000 km.

A complicated surrounding security environment poses challenges to the country's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity.

For the sake of national security, China should be committed to a moderate defense buildup and develop a military proportional to its economic strength and international status.

Accelerated military technological revolutions worldwide have also made it necessary for China to set up and develop a potent mechanized and informationized military that can win a regional war. Also, in line with improved living standards, conditions for the country's millions of military servicemen should be raised.

Diversifying the military also requires reinforced disaster rescue, anti-terror and peacekeeping capabilities. As China further strengthens its military exchanges with the rest of the world, it should actively partake in more international actions, such as international peacekeeping, anti-terror, fighting piracy and maintaining regional security. A Chinese naval fleet is currently patrolling waters off the Gulf of Aden, shepherding Chinese commercial ships and their counterparts from other countries, as well as those ferrying goods on behalf of the UN Food Program and other international organizations. All these help maintain world peace and stability and promote common development.

Undoubtedly, certain Western countries lack facts to back their claims that China's defense budget is excessive.

To trumpet the "China threat" thesis and deride its international image, Western countries have long accused China of lacking military transparency and building a military beyond a defensive capacity. China's Budget Law and the National Defense Law both stipulate that the country's defense spending should adhere to a strict financial appropriation system and that the NPC should approve the final annual budget. Since 2007, the country has taken part in a UN framework aimed at promoting transparency in member's military budgets, submitting annual reports to the world body. The country's white paper on national defense last year also unveiled basic data on various changes to the military. These moves have demonstrated China's candidness and self-confidence vis--vis defense construction.

China's normal military buildup will add to the development of world peace. The country has long embarked on peaceful development and remains committed not to engage in arms races.

Chinese people have suffered suppression and humiliation in the 100 years since the Opium War and thus value its recent hard-won peace and development.

Rapid development in past decades has made China inseparable from the rest of the world. Also, the world cannot do without an emerging China.

In an era of interdependence, a booming China, including its military buildup, will contribute greatly to regional and world peace, stability and prosperity.

In the context of the global financial crisis, facts are proving and will prove China's development to be a boon for world peace and development rather than a threat.

The author is a national defense economist.

(China Daily 03/09/2009 page4)