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China Releases Military White Paper, Disclosing Defense Spending

Joyce Huang

   For the first time in four years, China's Ministry of National Defense
   on Wednesday released a white paper on the country's overall national
   defense strategy, disclosing that, before 2017, its military spending
   accounted for 1.28 percent of its GDP.
   The[1] lengthy 27,000-word white paper, titled "China's National
   Defense in the New Era," totals six chapters.
   It is the first comprehensive white paper since the 18th National
   Congress of China Communist Party, held in 2012, and the 10th one since
   the Chinese government released its first defense white paper in 1998.
   Some analysts said the white paper has demonstrated China's efforts to
   regain international security narrative. Others, however, add that it's
   nothing new, but more about repeating consistent Chinese narratives
   while its defense budget remains opaque.
   Xi slogans
   Compared to the last white paper in 2015, "this new white paper is
   designed to really facilitate China's drive to what I call to earn the
   regional security narrative. The white paper is full of (Chinese
   President) Xi Jinping's slogans," said Alexander Neill, a Shangri-La
   Dialogue senior fellow for Asia Pacific security at the International
   Institute for Strategic Studies.
   "Following a period of quite considerable defense reform, this white
   paper is setting out its achievement in terms of reforms but it's also
   offering a new vision for regional security with Chinese
   characteristics," added the Singapore-based expert.
   During a news conference on Wednesday morning, China insisted its armed
   forces are defensive in nature.
   That, some observers believe, shows China's attempts to dismiss
   international criticism that it is a rising military threat.
   According to Hu Kaihong, spokesman at China's State Council Information
   Office, the white paper responds to the international community's
   interest in the development ofChina's armed forces and elaborates on
   the distinctive feature of China's national defense policy, which is
   defensive in nature.
   A military threat?
   "China's national defense in the new era is never seeking hegemony,
   expansion or spheres of influence. And China's national defense
   expenditure has been reasonable and appropriate," Hu said.
   According to the white paper, from 2012 to 2017, China's defense
   expenditure increased from US$98 billion to $152 billion.
   During the period, China's GDP and government expenditures grew at an
   average rates of 9.04 percent and 10.43 percent respectively while its
   defense expenditures increased by an average of 9.42 percent.

References

   1. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-07/24/c_138253389.htm

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