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MARK DODD
CHINA'S booming economy means its defence budget will double by 2015 to $238.2 billion, about four times the size of its nearest rival, Japan, according to a report released yesterday by global defence information provider IHS Janes.
The economies of Japan and India, whose defence budgets are the second- and third-largest in the Asia-Pacific region, have both been flagged "at risk", a grading carrying serious implications for their respective defence requirements, the report warned.
It tracked the economies of the Asia-Pacific's 13 biggest defence spenders, including Australia and its Anzac partner New Zealand's whose economy was also graded "at risk".
The report reinforces regional concerns about China's military build-up.
Read the full story at The Australian