Military transparency

The State Information Office issued the white paper China's National Defense in 2010 on Thursday, providing detailed information on China's defense forces and their activities last year.

The white paper marks the country's consistent effort to make its military build-up increasingly transparent to the outside world.

The country reiterates that it adheres to a national defense policy that is defensive in nature and that does not pose any threat to others.

It highlights the country's role as a responsible world power committed to world peace and stability, and capable of defending its land and its people.

China's military spending has drawn increasing attention from the outside world in recent years and the white paper devotes one chapter to elaborating on it.

In recent years, China's defense expenditure has accounted for a comparatively stable proportion of its GDP, with a slight general decrease in its proportion against the overall State finance expenditure.

For example, in 2008 China's defense expenditure was 417.88 billion yuan (44.9 billion euros), a year-on-year increase of 17.5 percent. It increased to 495.11 billion yuan in 2009, a year-on-year increase of 18.5 percent. Both figures are lower than the growth rate of State expenditure, which was 25.7 percent in 2008 and 21.9 percent in 2009.

In general, the increase in China's defense expenditure has been kept at a moderate and reasonable level in line with the demands of the country's national defense and economic development. According to the document, China's defense expenditure has been mainly used to improve support conditions for troops, and to upgrade weapons and equipment.

Compared to many countries, China's military spending is moderate considering its vast territory, colossal population and long coastlines. In 2008, its military spending was about one-tenth that of the United States.

The new edition of the defense white paper is a timely response to the international finger pointing aimed at China's growing military might.

China is used as a pretext by some countries to justify their own military ambition.

China's move to modernize its defense forces has been regarded as a threat by some ill-intentioned people. US politician Sarah Palin is a typical example.

"What's with the military buildup?" she asked in her speech delivered during a visit to India last month. "China's military growth cannot just be for defensive purposes," she said.

Before finding fault with others, she would do better to look at the military spending of her own country, which has military bases all over the world and rarely thinks for a second before launching military actions against another sovereign state.

China Daily