China plans to raise its defense budget by 10.7 percent to 720.2 billion yuan ($114.3 billion) in 2013 in a move analysts have described as reasonable given China's economic growth.
Military spending will be used to improve living and working conditions of service personnel, make the armed forces more mechanized and information-based, and safeguard national security, according to the report on China's 2013 central and local draft budgets submitted to the first session of the 12th National People's Congress on Tuesday.
Xu Guangyu, a member of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the defense budget increase this year is in line with military budget growth over previous years and China's growing economy.
China achieved 7.8 percent GDP growth in 2012, and targets 7.5 percent growth in 2013.
Yin Zhuo, director of the Chinese Navy Advisory Committee for Informatization and a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, told the China News Service on Tuesday that despite the fact China has become the world's second largest economy, its national defense budget this year accounts for just 1.7 percent of the GDP, a much lower number compared to US defense budget of 4.5 to 4.8 percent.
China's 650.6 billion yuan military budget amounted to about 1.25 percent of its GDP in 2012. The ratio was less than the 2.6 percent of Britain, 3.9 percent of Russia and many other countries.
Yin described China's defense budget as still being in a "compensatory growth" stage that aims to make up for years of low military spending.
"Some of the spending is to secure China's ability to safeguard its sovereign integrity," said Xu, adding that "China has always adopted a defense strategy and doesn't seek territorial expansion."
Earlier on Monday, 12th NPC spokeswoman Fu Ying, played down the media frenzy surrounding China's defense spending at a press conference.
"We strengthen our defense forces to safeguard ourselves, security and peace, instead of threatening other countries," said Fu.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) plans to hold about 40 military drills in 2013, the PLA has announced.
By moderately raising its defense budget, China, as the largest personnel contributor to UN peace-keeping missions among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, is also capable of making more contributions to world peace.
