Following the announcement of China's 2015 defense budget, a military strategist and national lawmaker said increased spending is necessary to build a stronger army, but China's budget remains comparatively low.
China on Thursday set its 2015 defense budget at 886.9 billion yuan (US$144.2 billion), a 10.1% rise year on year and its lowest increase in five years.
Chen Zhou, who is a research fellow at the Academy of Military Sciences affiliated with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and a deputy to the National People's Congress, said China's defense spending was "appropriate and rational," and its share to gross domestic product (GDP) was lower than other major countries.
In terms of defense spending per head and its share to GDP, China spends less than other major countries, Chen said, adding that the United States' defense budget was more than US$600 billion.
This year is the fifth consecutive year that the defense budget has increased by double digits.
Read the full story at Want China Times