Military spending: Will ask, should tell
- Source: Global Times
- [03:29 March 05 2010]
- Comments
During the first press conference of this year's NPC Thursday, a conventional question regarding China's military spending was raised again. What's the military expenditure estimated for 2010, and whether it includes the cost of building China's first aircraft carrier?
Any change in China's military budget will be thoroughly studied and analyzed. The proposed military budget for 2010 is 7.5 percent up from a year ago, only half of the average growth rate of the past decade.
Chinese public has reacted strongly to the change. In a random survey conducted by the Global Times, over 80 percent of the respondents felt that the growth in military spending is too small.
The poll result suggests that Chinese public long for a strong defense capability.
Only strong defense power can safeguard their life from disturbances.
The proposed 532.11 billion yuan ($78.25 billion) military budget, besides providing for necessary military equipment upgrade in response to the changing security threats, also covers the cost for improving living conditions of soldiers. In addition, a large part of the military spending is to make up for the low spending in earlier decades.
With fiscal health getting stronger, when other spheres such as culture and sports have more capital to improve performance, there is a case for more outlay for the country's defense sector and the people who work in it.
But details of major projects like building China's first aircraft carrier are not in the public domain, though speculation over it is mounting in and outside China.
The outside world and Chinese have noticed that there are no clear answers to these questions on the issue.
China has progressed in making defense budget more transparent. In this regard, countries with different strength follow different standard.
Meanwhile, public attention to military buildup has also increased. Taxpayers are more concerned about where and how the money is spent on national defense, and whether it adequately safeguards public and national interests.
