BEIJING, March 10 -- Chinese Defense Spokesperson Senior Colonel Wu Qian, also spokesperson for the delegation of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the People’s Armed Police (PAP) Force at the fifth session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC), received an interview on March 9, in which he introduced the arrangements for China’s national defense budget in 2022.
The Chinese government upholds the guideline of coordinated development of national defense and economy, and appropriately determines the scale of defense spending in light of actual defense needs and economic development level, said Wu, adding that China’s defense expenditure has increased at a reasonable and steady rate in recent years to promote defense capabilities in step with the nation’s economic strength.
According to Wu, China has allocated a defense budget of 1.45 trillion yuan for 2022, with an increase of 7.1% from the previous year’s executed amount. The increment will mainly be used in four areas: accelerating the modernization of weapons and equipment, cultivating military talents for the new era, deepening the national defense and military reform, and continuously improving the working, training and living conditions of the troops as well as the service members' benefits.
Wu clarified that it is groundless for some external forces to hype up the so-called “invisible military spending”. He emphasized that in compliance with the laws and regulations including the national defense law and the budget law, the Chinese government incorporates its defense expenditure budget in the government budget draft every year. As such, the budget is reviewed and approved by the NPC, and managed and used in accordance with law, with the total amount published to the public. China also actively participates in the UN’s military expenditure transparency regime, and has been submitting its annual military expenditure report to the UN since 2008.
Wu added that in comparison with major military powers such as the US, China’s defense spending remains relatively low in terms of percentage in GDP, percentage in national fiscal expenditure, and per capita defense expenditure as well as per-serviceperson defense expenditure.
Wu stressed that the increase in China’s national defense spending is necessary both to cope with complex security challenges and to fulfill its duties as a major country. History has proved and will continue to prove that the Chinese military will remain a staunch force in safeguarding national interests and maintaining world peace. Thus, the reasonable and steady growth of China’s national defense spending is fully justified and consistent with the general trend.