Intelligence and Terrorism News
China increases defence spending to modernize military
Dec 29, 2006, 14:11 GMT
Beijing - China says its ongoing modernization of its military is to defend its security and to control Taiwan independence efforts, according to a defence white paper released on Friday.
No nation need fear a 'threat by China' as the increase in military spending is for 'purely defensive' purposes and is 'in step' with the national economic development, said the report, the fifth Chinese defence white paper since 1998.
Since the 90s China's defence expenditure has gradually increased based on its economic development, said the report, and it will keep the modernization of the armed forces an 'integral part of its social and economic development' to keep up with new trends in the 'global revolution.'
The 2006 budget was officially 35 billion US dollars, up about 15 per cent from the previous year, though analysts believe the actual figure is significantly higher. The report was quick to point out that China's military spending is less per capita than the United States, Britain, France or Russia.
The increasing linkages between domestic and international factors as well as non-traditional threats has made national security 'a more challenging task,' prompting China to adapt 'new military trends,' said the policy paper.
The white paper called Taiwan's government's steps to amend the constitution towards legalising the island's independence 'a serious threat' to China's sovereignty, as well as peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Asia-Pacific region.
The report described the struggle to oppose and control 'Taiwan independence' splittist forces as 'complex and grim' and went on to criticize the US for strengthening military ties with and selling arms to what China considers a breakaway province.
The paper promises that China is pursuing a 'self-defensive nuclear strategy' and is committed to the policy of no first use of nuclear weapons at under any circumstances.
The goal is to deter other countries from using or threatening to use nuclear weapons against China, said the paper, while pointing out that North Korea's nuclear test in October has made the situation on the neighbouring Korean peninsula 'more complex and challenging.'
'China will not engage in any arms race or pose a military threat to any other country,' the white paper added.
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
You should ask yourself about Bush, in the light of his predecessor, who took Chinese and Russian campaign funds. What compromises did he make for those? Ask Sandy Berg(L)ar.
Jesse craig
Every generation that ever existed in freedom has had to face the same fight.
Nazi's
Commies
Jihadists
anyone that wants to kill for belief is the enemy.
'. Now we are told that China has the largest submarine fleet in the world. '
Just FYI, the USA has the largest active submarine fleet, the second largest is the US mothball fleet. Then comes the Russians. I don't think China is in the top 5.
'How can simple men and women survive in this world when the leaders continually prepare for WAR.'
That question has been asked for millenia, we are still here. (knock on wood)
Go to newsmax website and read the book they have reviewed.
They are in an arms race. Their people are not permitted to use the internet freely and remain ignorant about the rest of the world. The communists are claiming Taiwan as their own, though Taiwan was formed from the refugees fleeing their oppressive, brainwashing, killing ways. They cannot pull the wool over our eyes, yet, we do business as usual, excuse me; we do business with them on an uneven playing field on an unprecedented scale.
I can only accuse those in power for the present situation and the consequences of a less than rosy future for freedom loving peoples everywhere.
They are only installing all that stolen technology their wormy spies have sent home to the mother land.
well the Chinese do have a huge pile of cash(180 billion plus) sitting around and they are going on a world wide shopping spree(buying companies, resources and greasing the palms of corrupt governments)
the US still holds sway in tech and strength and its not in the Chinese government's interest at the moment to rock the US boat. The only worry is if the Chinese get the Idea of full space exploitation(raw materials, land all for free without a fight) Mars and the moon being the prime land that would benefit the Chinese colonial scheme of things.
I agree - they will wait a decade or two before getting into serious military adventures outside their current general sphere of influence.
Too bad about Taiwan in the meantime, though - but given the west's failure to curtail China's previous expansionist projects (and given the inherent hypocracy in trying, given recent WESTERN unilateralist ventures), it looks like Taiwan is out of luck.
The idea of Chinese military escalation as 'defensive' is as laughably surreal as it would be comming from ANY superpower out of history.
I hope or don't that there weapons are better than that shit they sell to wal-mart.....
Half of China's population could go away in the blink of an eye and China would not even care.....
page: 1
jesse craigJan 11th, 2007 - 04:58:03
I am really amazed that no one in the US even raises an eyebrow at this. We grew up as children after WW11 being told by our teachers that the population of China so out numbered us that military options were not ever to be considered. China had no NAVY so we should not be concerned about invasion. Now we are told that China has the largest submarine fleet in the world. We have a dumb leader in the White House finally one of our economice leaders called the Iraq War dumb and the politicians fell in line and agreed. The US military is weak now at least to convintial warfare. We are also weak economically but I am not sure how the world picture works. What is freighting that I am not sure anyone elso knows. How can simple men and women survive in this world when the leaders continually prepare for WAR.
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