According to Chinese parliament spokesman Li Zhaoxing China plans to increase it’s defensive budget to 480.686 billion yuan ($70 billion). That will be 6.3% of China’s total fiscal expenditure in 2009.
The raise for the Chinese military shall be used for better treatment of servicemen, on the purchase of equipment, construction of facilities and enhancement of the armed forces capacity for disaster relief and anti-terror operations.
Parliament spokesman Li Zhaoxing:
“China’s defense expenditure accounted for 1.4 percent of it’s GDP in 2008. The ratio was 4 percent for the United States, and more than 2 percent for the United Kingdom, France and other countries. China’s limited military force is mainly for safeguarding our sovereignty and territory and forms no threat to any other country.”