7% hike proposed in defense spending
By Zhao Lei | China Daily | Updated: 2017-03-05 13:03
China plans to increase its defense budget by about 7 percent in fiscal year 2017, and overall military spending will account for about 1.3 percent of GDP, the spokeswoman for the 12th National People's Congress said on Saturday.
The government based these figures on economic conditions and national defense requirements, said Fu Ying, spokeswoman for the annual plenary session of the nation's top legislature.
Fu's remarks were made at a news conference in response to the question US broadcaster Cable News Network raised on whether an increase in China's defense expenditures had to do with a sharp rise in US military spending.
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