China’s defence budget will rise about 10 per cent this year in an attempt to narrow a “gap” with potential adversaries, a Chinese official said on Wednesday. The comments indicate that Beijing intends to prioritise military spending, even as economic growth slows.
Fu Ying, a spokeswoman for the annual session of the National People’s Congress, China’s rubber stamp parliament, said the figure for defence spending growth this year would be “about 10 per cent”.
“There is still a gap between China’s armed forces in terms of overall military equipment. We still need more time,” she said. “Lagging behind leaves one vulnerable to attacks. That is a lesson we have learnt from history.”
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