China maintains reasonable, steady defense spending growth: spokesperson

BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- China's defense spending has maintained reasonable and steady growth over the past years, a Chinese military spokesperson said Sunday.

Wu Qian, spokesperson for the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force, made the remarks during the annual national legislative session.

It was disclosed at the session that China's 2025 defense budget in the central government expenditures will be 1.78 trillion yuan (about 249 billion U.S. dollars), marking a 7.2-percent growth year on year.

Wu said the increased expenditure will be mainly used to develop new-domain forces with new combat capabilities and to enhance systems and capacity for reconnaissance and early warning, joint strikes, battlefield support and integrated logistics support.

The spending will also be put into improving military training under combat conditions and deepening national defense and military reform, Wu said.

Compared to major military powers like the United States, China's defense spending remains relatively low in terms of the spending's share in GDP, its share in national fiscal expenditures, the country's per capita defense spending, and expenditure per service member, he added.

The spokesperson emphasized that China has yet to be completely reunified, and faces one of the most complex peripheral security environments in the world.

"The Chinese military faces tough challenges in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity," Wu said.

China's restrained defense spending enables the country's military to provide public security goods and further contribute to building a community with a shared future for humanity, Wu stressed. ■