I believe Chinese defense budget in 2018 will increase by 15% in Yuan .. or in US$ about 22% .. as Chinese Yuan appreciated about 7% so far from Feb 2017
That is possibility a gib bump in defense spending because in break with the past China WILL NOT REVELAED defense spending this year
China Refrains From Releasing Military Spending Target
Bloomberg News
March 4, 2018, 12:25 AM CST
- Figure not released during annual legislative news briefing
- Highlights lack of information about Xi’s growing military
Military delegates leave the Great Hall of the People following a group session at the first session of the 13th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing, China, on March 4. Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg
China withheld release of its annual military-spending target during an annual news conference, breaking with a practice that provided a key glimpse into the world’s second-largest defense budget.
National People’s Congress spokesman Zhang Yesui sidestepped a question about the figure at a briefing Sunday ahead of the annual legislative session in Beijing, saying defense spending had increased to make up for past shortcomings. The figure could be released as soon as Monday, when the legislature is expected to receive a Ministry of Finance report at the start of its session.
Last year, China’s military budget rose 7.1 percent to 1.044 trillion yuan ($160 billion), the slowest pace since at least 1991. While that’s about one-quarter of U.S. outlays, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates that China’s actual spending is about 55 percent more than the officially stated figures.
The omission highlights the general lack of official data about China’s military, as defense officials in the U.S. and Asia seek more information about Beijing’s strategic intentions. Calls for more transparency are likely to intensify as President Xi Jinping seeks to build a “world-class” military capable of projecting force further from China’s borders.
“China is committed to a path of peaceful development and China pursues a defense policy that is defensive in nature,” Zhang said. “China’s development will not pose a threat to other countries.”
China’s “lack of transparency about its growing military capabilities and strategic decision-making continue to cause concern among countries in the region,” the Pentagon wrote in its report on the country’s military last year. Unlike China, the U.S. provides a breakdown of spending between the army, navy, air force and other units.
Besides approving the defense budget, NPC deputies are also expected to appoint Xi to a second term as president and repeal constitutional term limits requiring him to step down in 2023. The amendment may give Xi more time to advance a
in October to complete China’s restoration as a global power by the mid-century mark.
— With assistance by Peter Martin, David Tweed, and Dandan Li