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Journalism of Courage
China’s defence spending has risen steadily in recent years and Parliament is expected to approve another year of double-digit growth in the military budget when the National’s People’s Congress convenes on March 5.
World’s Biggest Army
• China’s 2,255,000 troops are almost double the size of the world’s second largest army — the US, whose forces number 1,546,372.
• China’s 1.6 million-strong army, 225,000 Navy and 400,000 Air Force personnel, include 800,000 reserves.
• There are also 3,969,000 paramilitaries.
Red Army Roots
• The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was born out of the Red Army, a five-million strong peasant army. The PLA became the national armed force in 1949, as communist leader Mao Zedong swept to power.
• Soviet expertise helped organise it into a mass army, geared towards protracted wars of attrition during the 1950s, when it fought in the 1950-1953 Korean War.
New Directions
• The PLA is now being transformed into a modern force capable of fighting short, high-intensity conflicts against high-tech adversaries.
• China-watchers are also monitoring international deployments for signs of China’s rising global status translating into a more assertive foreign policy and presence.
Increased Spending
• In 2006, the National People’s Congress announced a 14.7 per cent rise in the annual defence budget, to 284 billion yuan ($36.6 billion).
• Foreign analysts say the true amount of defence spending is 1.5 to three times that.
• China’s estimated defence spending rose from $39.9 billion in 1999 to $80 billion in 2005.
• US spending rose from $292.1 billion to $518.1 billion over the same period.
US Concerns
• The US Department of Defence’s 2006 report to Congress stated that China’s military build-up appears focussed on Taiwan Strait contingencies, but also said China’s leaders have not adequately explained the purpose of their military expansion.
• This lack of facts about China’s military led the US Congress to pass 1997 legislation requiring the Department of Defence to submit its annual PLA report to Congress.
