China plans double-digit boost in military spending

Discussion in 'Warfare / Military' started by OldMercsRule, Mar 4, 2012.

  1. OldMercsRule

    OldMercsRule Member

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    "China will raise its military spending by 11.2 percent in 2012 as the Asian giant worries about the US presence in the region.

    Beijing
    China said Sunday that it would boost its defense spending by 11.2 percent in 2012, the latest in a nearly two-decade string of double-digit increases.

    Although the planned figure is less than last year's 12.7 percent increase, China's military leaders have said they are unhappy with recent moves by the Obama administration to increase the US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region. Only twice since the early 1990s has the increase been less than double digits.

    National People's Congress spokesman, Li Zhaoxing, said China's defense spending would increase by 11.2 percent over actual spending last year to hit 670.2 billion yuan ($106.4 billion) in 2012, an increase of about 67 billion yuan.

    China's official defense spending is the largest in the world after the United States, but actual spending, according to foreign defense experts, may be 50 percent higher, as China excludes outlays for its nuclear missile force and other programs.

    Li, speaking at a news conference a day before the opening of the annual session of the congress, said China's military spending was small as a percentage of gross domestic product compared to other countries, especially the United States.

    "China is committed to the path of peaceful development and follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature," Li said. "You see, China has 1.3 billion people, a large territory and long coastline, but our defense spending is relatively low compared with other major countries."

    Last year's military spending amounted to 1.28 percent of China's economy, Li said. By contrast, the ratio stood at 4.8 percent for the US in 2010, according to the World Bank.

    The increase in defense spending is part of China' long-term military modernization process, but also is partly spurred by Obama's new emphasis on the Asia-Pacific, said Sarah McDowall, a senior analyst at IHS Jane's, a London-based security consultancy.

    "It is important to note that Beijing views itself as reacting to the increasingly assertive policies of other countries and has repeatedly said that it does not want to provoke military confrontation," McDowall was quoted as saying in a news release.

    Beijing has mounted a robust defense buildup for more than two decades that has transformed the military into a formidable regional force, increasingly able to project power far from China. While chiefly aimed at the US, the buildup is also jangling nerves among Asian rival India and neighbors Japan, Vietnam, and the Philippines, which have maritime disputes with China.

    Mindful of the unease the burgeoning military has created among its neighbors and the opportunity it has given the United States to raise its profile in the region, Li repeated several times that China's intentions are peaceful and defensive.

    "China's limited military strength is aimed at safeguarding sovereignty, national security, and territorial integrity and will not pose a threat to other countries," he said.

    With the huge outlays, the Chinese military's armory include the home-built J-10 jet fighter, new nuclear submarines, and modern surface vessels armed with supersonic anti-ship missiles. Last year, China began testing a new J-20 stealth fighter and launched sea trials of its first aircraft carrier, a refurbished hulk purchased from Ukraine. Cyber-warfare programs are also burgeoning.

    While Beijing insists its military is defensive and is not a threat, defense analysts say the new capabilities are aimed at keeping foreign forces, especially the US, out of the seas and airspace around China. The South China Sea has become a new potential flash point, with Beijing's more powerful navy and an assertive policy to defend contested claims to groups of islands, reefs, and atolls, and the US has declared its own interest in making sure sea lanes remain open.

    Growing Chinese power and East Asia's economic importance is driving neighboring countries to boost defense spending and has prompted the US to redirect defense resources to the region. Washington's moves to rotate new troops to Australia, shore up alliances with other traditional allies Japan and the Philippines while forging new military ties to Vietnam has heightened Beijing's fears of encirclement."

    http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Late...plans-double-digit-boost-in-military-spending

    Hmmmmmmmmmmm.............
     
  2. Giftedone

    Giftedone Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Chinese military spending is projected at 100 Billion in 2012.

    Total US Military spending is 700 Billion and this increases to 900 Billion if you include Total Defense spending.

    http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/us_military_spending_30.html

    It would make sense that the Chinese are worried.
     
  3. The Third Man

    The Third Man Banned

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    The Chinese are not going into debt to fund their military. They have plenty of money. America on the other hand would prefer to bankrupt itself so that it can have the best military.
     
    RoccoR and (deleted member) like this.
  4. OldMercsRule

    OldMercsRule Member

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    I guess you guys are rootin' for those guys eh? :roll: :rolleyes:

    Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet
    :fart: :eye:
     
  5. Giftedone

    Giftedone Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    What would give you that idea ?
     
  6. Dayton3

    Dayton3 Well-Known Member

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    Of course, most of the U.S. budget is on personnel while the bulk of the Chinese budget is for weapons.
     
  7. OldMercsRule

    OldMercsRule Member

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    Their werds. :fart:
     
  8. Jango

    Jango New Member

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    What are they preparing themselves for?
     
  9. SiliconMagician

    SiliconMagician Banned

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    Why shouldn't we have the best, most powerful, advanced and high tech military on the planet?

    last I checked world peace and total global disarmament was still about 1000 years away.

    Also, how is our mere presence in the region a threat to China unless they actually have something bad planned for our allies in the region.

    We have no desire to attack China, but to defend against their possible aggression.

    They are the offense in this one, not us. We can move forces anywhere on the planet we wish and no one should be building up forces against it becuase we are not a threat to anyone who doesn't send airplanes flying into our skyscrapers or threatens our most important trading partners.\
     
  10. The Third Man

    The Third Man Banned

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    The thing is with borrowing to buy things that you cannot afford you have to pay it back. I am not bothered if America wants the most advanced military in the world but the fact is they cannot afford it and are just lining themselves up for a huge fall economically. They need to save money not spend more.They could easily defend themselves without spending so much money. You do not see anyone attacking China and they spend about a 7th of what America spends.
     
  11. SiliconMagician

    SiliconMagician Banned

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    That is becuase compared to us they give thier soldiers rocks and sticks to fight with.
     
  12. IgnoranceisBliss

    IgnoranceisBliss Well-Known Member

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    Do you have evidence of that? Your statement about the U.S. budget is correct. The Chinese military is much larger than the U.S. though.
     
  13. Giftedone

    Giftedone Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    We should have the best and most powerful. Current overspending levels put our ability to maintain the best and most powerful in jeapordy as well as the security of our country.


    The Chinese are so far behind it is not even funny. Right now we spend 900 Billion "total defense spending" and China spends 100 Billion.

    Is this really necessary to stay ahead ?

    Our revenue is 2.1 Trillion. After interest on the debt we have 1.7 Trillion to spend. 900 Billion is over half of what we actually have to spend.

    Our Total spending is 3.5 Trillion so we keep going further and further into debt to finance our current activities.

    When other countries and investors stop lending us money .. what do we do then ?
     
  14. The Third Man

    The Third Man Banned

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    I see that you skipped that America cannot afford to spend all they do on arms and now you seem to think that the Chinese military fight with rocks and stones. Interesting but ultimately incorrect.
     
  15. s002wjh

    s002wjh Well-Known Member

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    ahh that doesn't sound right "they are the offenese, We can move force anywhere, no one should be building up force against it" this sound like we are on offsense. its not like they are building missile in cuba. we were the one went to asia, they live in asia.

    what you should say, we are there to protect our allies/friends in asia, japan, korea, phillpines, and protect the sea lanes from china aggression. this sounds better.
     
  16. Mushroom

    Mushroom Well-Known Member

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    Actually out military budget is less then $700 billion. $683.7 billion to be exact.

    The far bigger problem is entitlement spending, not the military budget. That is where the vast majority of the US money goes.
     
  17. Giftedone

    Giftedone Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I mentioned this earlier .. Military spending is currently 713 Billion but total defense spending is given as over 900 Billion.

    http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/us_military_spending_30.html

    I do not disagree that entitlement spending is a problem. One thing about entitlement spending is that you cant use the total entitlement number because a percentage of the total is given by the state and another portion was paid into the program by the one receiving the entitlement.
     
  18. Mushroom

    Mushroom Well-Known Member

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    And as myself and others have told you over and over and over again, you can't lump in anything that has to do with defense (like in this case Border Patrol, Homeland Security, Marshall's service, FBI, etc) into a singly lump and call it "Defense" and be taken seriously.

    Otherwise, myself and others would be fully entitled to take SSI, Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare, and every single "Entitlement Program", then throw back at you that Entitlements amount to over $2.4 trillion.

    SO fine, I accept your hyperinflated figure of $900 billion. And throw right back at you the big block called "Entitlements" at almost 3 times that figure, over $2.4 trillion.

    Now where is all the money going?

    And no, the US Military budget for 2010 was only $683 billion. The 2011 budget has yet to be computed, and the estimated 2012 budget will be only $707 billion.
     
  19. waltky

    waltky Well-Known Member

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    Granny thinks dey up to no good...
    :worry:
    China's double digit military growth
    March 5th, 2012 - China said Sunday it plans to increase its defense budget by 11.2%, following similar increases in years past and coming on the heels of a renewed U.S. push in the region.
     
  20. Rollo1066

    Rollo1066 Member

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    China would have to keep this high increase rate up for about 15-20 years (my estimate is 18 years) to equal US spending levels if the USA has a zero change rate.
     
  21. SiliconMagician

    SiliconMagician Banned

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    Irrelevent what they spend really.

    If an American solider costs 1 million dollars to train, equip, keep healthy etc.

    and a Chinese soldier costs $150,000 to train equip and keep healthy,etc..

    Then teh Chinese could spend 1/100th of what we spend and build a vast army.

    People here dont' understand the Asian mindset towards the military.

    In Western nations we protect our soldiers, see them as valuable members of society and give them the best equipment and training we can afford.

    In Asia, being in the military is considered a socially low, almost disgraceful occupation, and they are basically given nothing but a rifle and some rice.

    They want quantity, not quality.

    You won't see the Chinese risking a multi-million dollar helicopter to fly into a raging firefight just to pluck one or two wounded soldiers out of the battle and fly them to a hospital miles away within the Golden Hour to save their lives!

    Do you have any idea how much it costs every time a US helicopter gets shot down doing Medevac runs?
     
  22. Jango

    Jango New Member

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    http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/04/business/china-defence-spending/index.html
    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/05/world/asia/china-boosts-military-spending-more-than-11-percent.html
    http://www.defense.gov/pubs/pdfs/2011_cmpr_final.pdf

    Looks as though they're preparing themselves for armed conflict, no?
     
  23. antileftwinger

    antileftwinger Banned

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    You must admit the US budget does need some cut backs. And if the US is going to balance it's budget it needs to cut now. Plus the military is very wasteful.
     
  24. Shiva_TD

    Shiva_TD Progressive Libertarian Past Donor

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    How about just getting the US out of the Eastern Asian region which has nothing to do with providing security for the United States. We should withdraw our military from Korea and Japan as well has removing our navy from the region except for the limited role of addressing piracy in the Indian Ocean which our government has a Constitutional obligation to deal with. Virtually none of our navy fleets are designed to deal with piracy which is rather stupid. Aircraft carriers, the foundation of our current fleets, are not cost effective in dealing with piracy.

    Two points that are often ignored:

    First of all China is not going to attack or invade the United States and presents no threat to the United States.

    Next is that over 1/2 of the entire DOD budget has absolutely nothing to do with defending the United States from foreign invasion or attack which is the sole reason for having the US military under the Constitution.
     
  25. Dayton3

    Dayton3 Well-Known Member

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    The United States can't be defended from within its own borders.
     

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