BEIJING, China (Reuters) — China said on Friday (March 4) that it’s defense budget had been controlled in a reasonable range, while it urged the United States to respect the interests of countries in the region of South China Sea after a report saying its navy fleet entered the disputed waters.
China’s defense budget this year is likely to rise at its slowest pace since 2010, in line with the decelerating economy and by a much lower figure than had been expected in military and diplomatic circles, though it probably does not represent true spending.
Fu Ying, spokeswoman for China’s parliament said at a news conference ahead of the opening of the annual National People’s Congress that the figure would increase by about seven to eight percent from 2015, following a nearly unbroken two-decade run of double-digit budget increases.
China’s military build-up has rattled nerves around the region, particularly because China has taken an increasingly assertive stance in its territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas.
But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the national defense spending had been controlled “in a reasonable range”.
“The scale of China’s national defense spending has always been maintained in a reasonable range. We adhere to (the policy) that national defense development should consistently in line with the economic development with a focus on controlling the scale of the defense spending,” Hong told media at a regular briefing in Beijing.
The Navy Times cited U.S. military officials saying that the carrier John C. Stennis, two destroyers, two cruisers and the 7th Fleet flagship have sailed into the disputed waters in recent days.
Hong warned the U.S. not to violate the international laws.
“China has always respected the countries’ freedom of navigation and overflight empowered by the international law, but resolutely opposed any country who damage the sovereignty rights and security interests of the countries of (the South China Sea) under the name of navigation freedom. We hope the U.S. to act in accordance with the law, do not break the international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” he said.
Beijing has been angered by “freedom of navigation” air and sea patrols the United States has conducted near the islands it claims in the South China Sea and says it needs military facilities for its self defense.
Along with China and the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims on the waters, through which about $5 trillion in trade is shipped every year.
