8.1% hike proposed for defense

Military spending remains lower than in other nations as proportion of GDP

China will raise its defense budget by 8.1 percent in the 2018 fiscal year, more than last year's 7 percent, according to a budget report submitted to the top legislature on Monday.

The government proposed a defense budget of 1.11 trillion yuan ($175 billion) in the report, which was distributed to members of the media at the first session of the 13th National People's Congress.