China clarifies defense budget rise

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The head of the NPC's Budget Commission has cleared up a misunderstanding.

Gao Qiang, director of budget commission of NPC National Committee, said, "If we look at the increased volume, China's defense budget rose faster than that of the US for 2009. But given the different base level, the absolute figure for the increase is only 9 billion dollars, while for the US, it's 10.7 billion dollars."

Gao also stressed the need to see the defense budget in the context of the whole picture. The near 15-percent rise is less than for many other sectors, such as welfare, education and agriculture.

Gao Qiang said, "In 2008, China's defense budget accounted for 1.4 percent of the country's GDP. In the US and the UK, it was much higher, at 5 percent and 2.4 percent respectively."

Gao says the 2008 defense budget was just under 61 billion dollars, while the US spent 11 times more.

He also clarified where the money mainly goes.

Gao Qiang said, "First, it will be earmarked to improve the soldiers' conditions. And second, besides their mission to guard the nation, soldiers are also needed for disaster relief. So we need to spend more on training and and better equipment."

Tens of thousands of soldiers took part in relief operations during last May's earthquake in Sichuan. Gao says some military facilities in the quake zone need to be rebuilt, and the budget increase reflects that.

Editor:Liu Anqi