China unveiled an increase of 10.7 percent to military expenditure Tuesday, with defense spending set to amount to 720.2 billion yuan ($115.7 billion) in 2013. This increase is lower than last year's figure of 11.2 percent, yet still signals a double-digit rise.

China is the world's second-largest economy, with its military spending also placing second globally. Such a correlation is not surprising. The West and some of China's neighbors have been critical about Beijing's defense budget, and such complaints have been common in international politics. The modernization of China's military has been within the expectations of the international community, and its pace has been in step with the country's overall speed of modernization.

It's hard to say whether the scale of China's military budget is big or small; such assertions depend on which country China is compared alongside and the state of national security and potential threats.

There are many uncertainties facing China's strategic security. Hazards not only come from China's neighboring countries, such as Japan and the Philippines, who are bolstered by a sense US support.

However, China's defense budget increase does not aim to spark a confrontation with the US. In following years, China will still lack the capability to have a strategic showdown with the US, no matter how much it spends on modernizing its military.

Should China cut back its military spending to get along better with the outside world, or can this be achieved by increasing its defense budget? Neither seems to be working. No country can become powerful without strong national defense capabilities.

China cannot take such a risk, but taking the path of militarism stands to place it in danger.

The safe option is to spearhead the rise of China's military strength in accordance with its overall national strength, while keeping the scale and advancement of China's military within external expectations.

China's current military spending does not break such a framework. The outside world has become accustomed to it and double-digit defense budget growth should not cause panic.

We are able to see that China remains competitive on the economic front. China's economic challenge of catching up with the US is far more pressing than matching its military.

This reality perhaps explains why the US does not view China's rise in military spending as threatening.

It's worthwhile remembering the example of the former Soviet Union. While its economy lagged far behind the US, its military strength was almost on par with Washington because of their arms race. Today, China has no strategic ambition comparable to that of the former Soviet Union. China's military expenditure rise does not confront the US.

China hopes to develop peacefully.  However, China's military power must keep in step with its strategic interest. If this does not happen, the country risks falling behind and becoming vulnerable or passive in the face of others' provocations.