China announced its biggest rise in military spending in three years yesterday, a strong signal from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) that Beijing is not about to back away from its growing assertiveness in Asia, especially in disputed waters.
The government said it would increase the defense budget by 12.2 percent this year to 808.23 billion yuan (US$131.57 billion), as China seeks to develop more high-tech weapons and beef up coastal and air defenses.
The increase follows a nearly unbroken run of double-digit hikes in the defense budget for the past two decades.
“This is worrying news for China’s neighbors, particularly for Japan,” said Rory Medcalf, a regional security analyst at the independent Lowy Institute in Sydney.
Those who thought Xi might prefer to concentrate on domestic development over military expansion in a slowing economy had “underestimated the Chinese determination to shape its strategic environment,” he added.
The increase in spending appears to reflect Xi’s desire to build what he calls a strong, rejuvenated China. The spending jump is the biggest since a 12.7 percent rise in 2011.
Within hours of the announcement, officials in Taiwan and Japan had expressed disquiet over the absence of any details on how Beijing will spend the money.
In Taipei, while noting the “substantial” spending increase was needed to modernize China’s military, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Major General David Lo (羅紹和) said much remained hidden.
“The transparency of China’s defense budget has always been questionable, as it is widely seen there are a massive amount of military items hidden,” he said.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said China’s lack of clarity in its defense policy and spending was a global concern.
Speaking at the opening of the National People’s Congress yesterday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (李克強) said the government would “strengthen research on national defense and the development of new and high-technology weapons and equipment” and “enhance border, coastal and air defenses.”
He gave no details.
The paramount chief of a volcanic island in Vanuatu yesterday said that he was “very impressed” by a UN court’s declaration that countries must tackle climate change. Vanuatu spearheaded the legal case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, which on Wednesday ruled that countries have a duty to protect against the threat of a warming planet. “I’m very impressed,” George Bumseng, the top chief of the Pacific archipelago’s island of Ambrym, told reporters in the capital, Port Vila. “We have been waiting for this decision for a long time because we have been victims of this climate change for
Rainfall is expected to become more widespread and persistent across central and southern Taiwan over the next few days, with the effects of the weather patterns becoming most prominent between last night and tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Independent meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said that based on the latest forecast models of the combination of a low-pressure system and southwesterly winds, rainfall and flooding are expected to continue in central and southern Taiwan from today to Sunday. The CWA also warned of flash floods, thunder and lightning, and strong gusts in these areas, as well as landslides and fallen
MASSIVE LOSS: If the next recall votes also fail, it would signal that the administration of President William Lai would continue to face strong resistance within the legislature The results of recall votes yesterday dealt a blow to the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) efforts to overturn the opposition-controlled legislature, as all 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers survived the recall bids. Backed by President William Lai’s (賴清德) DPP, civic groups led the recall drive, seeking to remove 31 out of 39 KMT lawmakers from the 113-seat legislature, in which the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) together hold a majority with 62 seats, while the DPP holds 51 seats. The scale of the recall elections was unprecedented, with another seven KMT lawmakers facing similar votes on Aug. 23. For a
All 24 lawmakers of the main opposition Chinese Nationalists Party (KMT) on Saturday survived historical nationwide recall elections, ensuring that the KMT along with Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers will maintain opposition control of the legislature. Recall votes against all 24 KMT lawmakers as well as Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) and KMT legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) failed to pass, according to Central Election Commission (CEC) figures. In only six of the 24 recall votes did the ballots cast in favor of the recall even meet the threshold of 25 percent of eligible voters needed for the recall to pass,