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South China Morning Post Thursday, December 27, 2001 Mainland to increase budget for the military ============================= VIVIEN PIK-KWAN CHAN China will increase military spending next year, it was reported yesterday. Military spending would be "appropriately widened", the China-backed Wen Wei Pao newspaper said, citing an authoritative source. It gave no figure. China's military spending rose to 141 billion yuan (HK$133 billion) this year, up 17.7 per cent from 121 billion yuan last year. In 1998, military spending was 93.47 billion yuan. The paper cited a defence expert as saying that since the military was banned from engaging in commercial enterprises, it was necessary to maintain spending to "keep all machinery functioning normally". In addition, there was a need to raise the income of retired officers and enlisted men, the report said. Most international observers of the People's Liberation Army believe real military spending in China is far more than officially declared figures. The military budget does not include spending on foreign arms purchases, nuclear weapons development, most military research or funding of local militias. Despite China's repeated assurances to its Asian neighbours that it would not seek to be a military power, Beijing sources said the mainland would like the news to serve as a warning to the United States over its recent decision to abandon the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Beijing is worried the US withdrawal and the Bush administration's plan to develop a missile-defence system will undercut the deterrent value of its small nuclear arsenal. ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9WB2D Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
