China boosts defense spending by 11.2 percent to $110 billion for 2012

China boosts defense spending by 11.2 percent

China on Sunday announced an 11.2 percent hike in military spending in 2012, in a move expected to raise questions about its longterm intentions in the Asia-Pacific.

Reuters wrote that the increase would bring official spending on the People's Liberation Army — the world's biggest — to 670.3 billion yuan ($110 billion) for 2012, after a 12.7 percent increase in 2011.

It is also Beijing's first defense budget since President Barack Obama announced a strategic "pivot" to reinforce US influence across the region.

And it comes at a time when China’s Asian neighbors are "already unnerved by the country’s growing assertiveness in pressing territorial claims," the Washington Post wrote.

[link to www.globalpost.com]

Last Edited by ASX:XAO on 03/04/2012 05:29 AM