Japan media: China's military budget will exceed US$200bn in 2014

[xhw1986]

The Chinese premier, Li Keqiang, pledged on Wednesday at the annual session of the National People's Congress that Beijing will work to safeguard the victory of World War II and the postwar international order, but the country's defense budget will likely exceed US$200 billion this year, twice the amount announced by the NPC, the Tokyo-based Kyodo News reports.

During the annual conference of the NPC, the country's legislature, the Chinese government announced that the defense budget for 2014 will be US$131.6 billion, a 12.2% increase from last year. However, Kyodo reported that US$131.6 billion does not come close to the true amount that China will spend modernizing its military this year.

Many US and Japanese defense analysts believe that China's actual defense spending for the year of 2014 will likely exceed US$200 billion, Kyodo said. Meanwhile, Yoshihide Suga, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, has said that Tokyo will pay close attention to the increase of China's military budget.

In his Mar. 5 speech, Li described the importance of the ocean to China's national interests without mentioning the ongoing territorial disputes over the East and South China seas.

Agence France-Presse reported that Li used the speech to subtly criticize Japan for damaging the order established by the United States, Soviet Union, China and Great Britain in World War II, although he did not mention the nation by name. Analysts believe that the rising tensions between Beijing and Tokyo may be one of the main reasons why China will increase its military budget, which will help it prepare for a potential conflict over the disputed Diaoyutai islands (Senkaku to Japan, Diaoyu to China) in the East China Sea.

On Mar. 9, Japan announced that two H-6 strategic bombers of the PLA Air Force and one Y-8 early warning aircraft flew through the airspace of the Miyako waterway, which connects the Japanese islands of Okinawa and Miyako to the Western Pacific. F-15J fighters of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force were scrambled to intercept the aircraft, with the Chinese planes eventually heading back to China without incident, Kyodo said.

Beijing's military budget will exceed US$200bn in 2014: Kyodo｜Politics｜News｜WantChinaTimes.com

 

[atatwolf]

This is better for Japan. Such huge military spending will put huge strain on weakning Chinese economy. This is Japanese strategy. At the end they won't have to do anything.

 

[senheiser]

List of countries by military expenditures - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

if you look at ppp china has allready 250 billion dollar budget. China doesnt import so many arms so their US dollar budget is much more worth in their domestic industrial complex

This is better for Japan. Such huge military spending will put huge strain on weakning Chinese economy. This is Japanese strategy. At the end they won't have to do anything.

unlike america chinese military industrial complex belongs to the government, chinese goverment is paying itself if they buy all these weapons.

 

[xuxu1457]

One Q:
How many defence spending should be for China???China's GDP in 2013 is 9.2trillion $, will be 10trillion in 2014, what's the proper %(defence/GDP) should be?

 

[Raphael]

This is better for Japan. Such huge military spending will put huge strain on weakning Chinese economy. This is Japanese strategy. At the end they won't have to do anything.

think again kebab. at $200 billion, military expenditure is still barely more than 2% of gdp.

 

[bolo]

Again, $200b is too low. Western and Jap media should not even report this small amount until the Chinese military budget is at least $400b.