Military on Agenda for China Meeting
Published: 3/4/08, 6:25 AM EDT
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN
BEIJING (AP) - China announced a double-digit boost in defense spending Tuesday as a top lawmaker warned rival Taiwan from pursuing formal independence from Beijing.

The National People's Congress, which opens its annual session Wednesday, is being presented with a 17.6 percent increase in military spending this year over 2007, to about $59 billion, spokesman Jiang Enzhu said, adding the money would mostly go to meet payrolls and rising fuel costs.

The rise marks the 18th double-digit percentage increase in 19 years - spending that has ramped up the People's Liberation Army's ability to project power and drawn calls from Washington and Tokyo for Beijing to explain the buildup.

Hours before China announced the increase, the U.S. Defense Department released an annual assessment of China's military, citing its improving space program, the launching of hacker attacks on foreign computer networks and a growing arsenal of missiles arrayed against Taiwan.

"China's expanding and improving military capabilities are changing East Asian military balances," the Pentagon report said.

Jiang, the legislative spokesman, and the Foreign Ministry defended the higher military spending in separate news conferences, saying that China's intentions were not aggressive.

"We do not seek expansion. The purpose is to safeguard our sovereignty, security and territorial integrity," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters.

Jiang said inflation meant the added money was needed to cover higher oil prices and boost salaries of the 2.3 million-member army.

China's military budget accounted for 7.2 percent of government spending, far lower than U.S. military spending of 16.6 percent, Jiang said.

The higher military budget is all but certain to be approved during the two-week session of the National People's Congress.

Among the army's primary missions is enforcing China's claim to Taiwan, a democratically ruled island that split with Beijing in a civil war a half-century ago. China considers Taiwan a renegade province and Jiang warned Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian on Tuesday not to test Beijing's patience.

Can Obama handle this???

Should it be our business to get involved?

sure. why not? a state wants its freedom, you would rather say not our business and deny them that, knowing full well the opressiveness of china. sorry folks we'd love to see you free but it aint none of our business so enjoy the force abortion and sterilizations(women of course not the men). but sitting back and saying or doing nothing is in its own way supporting china as well,,,,,,,,so who knows, we involve ourselves in some weird stuff and not others.

good morning.

and the same to you and you reminded me of something with your ....difference from us and China is we put lead in our coffee...they put it in their paint...

China is pretty much a LIVE AND LET LIVE kind of country, just like Russia is , but both will fight when they are Cornered or poked in the eye long enough!!

It is irrelavant really because we couldn't do anything if they chose to get us now anyway. Our military is over extended in the illegal war in Iraq and will be for a while.

I know it gets hammered on, but really not that over extended, the military presence we have in afghanistan and iraq represents only about 10% of total force numbers.

even with 10% coming off of deployment or prepping for future deployments that still leaves 70% of the military not just finishing up or there or coming home from a deployment. additionally, if you think that we wouldnt drop those places like a hot potato to come and defend you, your wrong. We could deploy and have boots on the ground in less than 20hrs, normal flight time without stops is around 15 hours depending on where you take off from. Taqqadum air base outside of baghdad could lauch thousands of dude from it in no time flat, additionally, ali al salem airbase outside of kuwait can do the same, both airfields are long enough to land 747s, hell they launch c5's and c17's out of them daily anyway.

we could still do something in other words. of course there are also those pesky little dudes called gun nuts who have plenty of guns to go around so you and everyone else could lend a hand and fight like our predecesors did. damn gun laws!!!

see what happens Doc....when you throw in a few facts it kills the thread..