China Plans 15% Boost In Military Spending
Leaders Cite Price
Of Oil, Soldiers' Pay;
Neighbors Are Wary
BEIJING -- China plans the biggest increase in its defense budget in four years, a move certain to raise alarms around the world -- from Tokyo and Taipei to Washington.
China announced, as its annual National People's Congress got underway, that it would boost military spending this year by 15% to $35.1 billion. Last year, spending increased just under 13%.
The extra money will go to boosting soldiers' salaries and training, as well as upgrading military equipment, said Jiang Enzhu, spokesman for the National People's Congress.
"I wish to emphasize that China is a peace-loving nation," Mr. Jiang said. "China is committed to a path of peaceful development."
The increase in spending comes as China has stepped up its rhetoric against Taiwan. Last week, Chinese President Hu Jintao denounced the Taiwanese president's decision to halt the functioning of the National Unification Council, a government body dedicated to uniting Taiwan with the mainland, and warned that Beijing won't permit the self-ruled island to pursue formal independence. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory.
A U.S. government report issued in July said China also is building up its military to be able to project power beyond Taiwan. Japan has raised concerns about military increases as China's regional influence grows amid bilateral tensions over disputed territory and a Japanese war shrine that Beijing says glorifies Tokyo's colonial past.
The U.S. Pentagon budget issued in January says that in the future, China will have "the greatest potential to compete militarily with the United States." That statement drew a sharp rebuke from Beijing, which accused the U.S. of trying to mislead public opinion.
Chinese officials were quick to play down the spending increase, saying military spending still accounted for about 7% of the national budget, roughly the same percentage as it has in the past few years, and said China spends far less than other countries such as the U.S.
Mr. Jiang also singled out rising oil prices as a reason for the extra spending. Oil prices have doubled since 2003 and the world's ability to produce more oil is limited. Only a handful of nations are able to pump more, and insurgencies in Iraq and Nigeria have cut back supplies. The military is dependent on oil to fuel its tanks and machinery. Oil futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange hit a three-week high Friday, ending at $63.67 a barrel.
Still, analysts say China's official budget masks the true size of spending, which could be as much as four times greater.
Observers linked the increase in military spending to the continued Taiwan conflict. "Logically speaking, China's 14.7% growth in military budget is related to [Taiwanese President] Chen Shui-bian's decision to cease the function of [the] council," said Jiang Changbin, a professor with the International Strategic Research Institute at the Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party.
中国2006年军费开支将增加15%
中国2006年的军费开支增幅将达到4年来最大的一次，显然这会引起世界各地的广泛关注──从东京到台北再到华府。
中国政府在每年一度的全国人民代表大会(National People's Congress)上宣布，今年的国防开支将增加15%至351亿美元，超过了去年接近13%的增幅。
全国人大发言人姜恩柱介绍说，预计增加的这笔开支将用来改善官兵待遇，提高培训水平，更新军事设备。
他强调，中国是一个热爱和平的国家，中国坚持走和平发展的道路。
军费增加的消息正值北京逐步加大对台湾的口头攻势之际。上周，中国国家主席胡锦涛公开抨击台湾总统陈水扁决定终止国统会(National Unification Council)运作之举，并警告说北京不会坐视台湾走向独立。中国称台湾是其领土的一部分。
去年7月美国政府发布的一份报告称，中国正在提高自己的军事力量，使其影响力延伸到台湾岛以外的地区。日本对中国军力发展的忧虑也在加深，中国的地区影响力与日俱增，中国两国在领土争端和靖国神社问题上纠纷不断。
美国五角大楼今年1月公布的预算报告称，中国的军力“最具能与美国相抗衡的潜质”。这份声明引起了北京的强烈抗议，称美国试图误导公众。
中国官员迅速出面淡化军费开支增加的影响，称军费仍然只占政府预算总额的7%左右，与前几年相比基本未变，并称中国军费开支远远低于美国等其他国家。
姜恩柱还指出，油价上涨是军费增加的原因之一。2003年以来，石油价格已经上涨了一倍，但全球石油闲置产能有限。只有少数几个国家能提高石油产量，而伊拉克和尼日利亚骚乱事件的频繁发生导致石油供应减少。开动坦克和各类机械设备都需要燃料。纽约商交所石油期货价格上周五刷新3周高点，达到每桶63.67美元。
不过，分析师们认为中国官方预算掩盖了真实的支出，实际开支可能是公布的四倍。
观察家们将国防开支增加与台海冲突不断联系在一起。中央党校(Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party)国际战略研究所(International Strategic Research Institute)姜长斌教授说，从逻辑上讲，国防预算14.7%的增幅与陈水扁终止国统会的运作有关
