03-05-2005, 11:49 AM
<b>China to boost military budget by 12.6 pct, cut size of armed forces</b>
BEIJING (AFX) - China will boost its national defence spending by <b>12.6 pct </b>this
year and move ahead with plans to reduce the size of the military, said Jiang Enzhu, spokesman of the National People's Congress.
He said that total defence spending would reach 247.7 bln yuan under the budget to be presented at parliament's annual session.
"The figure is very low compared to other major powers," he told reporters at a news conference.
He said that China would cut its military foces by 200,000 though he gave no precise timetable for that reduction or say what total troop strength would be afterwards.
Jiang also said that the cuts would help fund higher wages and an ongoing modernization of the People's Liberation Army as well as cover retirement costs
BEIJING (AFX) - China will boost its national defence spending by <b>12.6 pct </b>this
year and move ahead with plans to reduce the size of the military, said Jiang Enzhu, spokesman of the National People's Congress.
He said that total defence spending would reach 247.7 bln yuan under the budget to be presented at parliament's annual session.
"The figure is very low compared to other major powers," he told reporters at a news conference.
He said that China would cut its military foces by 200,000 though he gave no precise timetable for that reduction or say what total troop strength would be afterwards.
Jiang also said that the cuts would help fund higher wages and an ongoing modernization of the People's Liberation Army as well as cover retirement costs