China drops 'peaceful reunification' reference to Taiwan, raises defense
spending by 7.2%
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[March 05, 2024]
By Yew Lun Tian and Laurie Chen
BEIJING (Reuters) - China will boost its defense spending by 7.2% this
year, fuelling a military budget that has more than doubled under
President Xi Jinping's 11 years in office as Beijing hardens its stance
on Taiwan, according to official reports on Tuesday.
The increase mirrors the rate presented in last year's budget and again
comes in well above the government's economic growth forecast for this
year.
China also officially adopted tougher language against Taiwan as it
released the budget figures, dropping the mention of "peaceful
reunification" in a government report delivered by Premier Li Qiang at
the opening of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's
rubber-stamp parliament, on Tuesday.
Tensions have risen sharply in recent years over Taiwan, the
democratically ruled island that China claims as its own, and elsewhere
across East Asia as regional military deployments rise.
Li Mingjiang, a defense scholar at the Rajaratnam School of
International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore, said that despite China's
struggling economy, Taiwan is a major consideration in Beijing's defense
spending.
"China is showing that in the coming decade it wants to grow its
military to the point where it is prepared to win a war if it has no
choice but to fight one," Li said.
Since Xi became president and commander-in-chief more than a decade ago,
the defense budget has ballooned to 1.67 trillion yuan ($230 billion)
this year from 720 billion yuan in 2013.
The percentage rise in military spending has consistently outpaced the
annual domestic economic growth target during his time in office. This
year the growth target for 2024 is about 5%, similar to last year's
goal, according to the government report.
The defense budget is closely watched by China's neighbors and the
United States, who are wary of Beijing's strategic intentions and the
development of its armed forces.
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Based on data from the London-based International Institute for
Strategic Studies (IISS), this year's budget marks the 30th consecutive
year of Chinese defense spending increases.
Japanese government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi on Tuesday urged
greater openness from Beijing, warning of serious international
concerns.
China's continuous military spending increases without sufficient
transparency were "the greatest strategic challenge ever to ensure the
peace and stability of Japan and the international community and
strengthen international order", Hayashi said in Tokyo.
South Korea's defense ministry declined to comment. Australia's defense
ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
James Char, a security scholar at the RSIS, said that despite the
defense budget's outpacing GDP growth, it had remained at about 1.3% of
overall gross domestic product in the last decade and had put no stress
on the national coffers.
"Of course, the country's longer-term economic fortunes will determine
whether this can be sustained going forward," Char said.
The purchase of new equipment is likely to take up the largest single
chunk of the budget as the military works to meet Xi's goal of full
modernization by 2035, the IISS said in research published last month.
That push continues across several fronts, with China producing weapons
ranging from warships and submarines to drones and advanced missiles
that can be equipped with both nuclear and conventional warheads.
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Soldiers of People's Liberation Army (PLA) march in formation past
Tiananmen Square during a rehearsal before a military parade marking
the 70th founding anniversary of People's Republic of China, on its
National Day in Beijing, China October 1, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee
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Char said tighter management would also be a priority for military
leadership after high-profile personnel purges related to weapons
procurement.
The Central Military Commission, China's top military body, last
July ordered a "clean up" of the procurement process and invited the
public to report irregularities.
The commission has not announced the results of its investigation,
but at least nine generals, including four directly in charge of
procurement, have been stripped of their title as parliamentarians,
a necessary procedure before they can be charged in court.
Two former defense ministers, Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe, have also
gone missing without explanation, which in China often means they
are under investigation.
Li had been in charge of military procurement from 2017 to 2022.
When asked whether Li would attend the parliament sessions,
parliament spokesman Lou Qinjian told Singapore paper Lianhe Zaobao
on Monday that Li "cannot attend because he is no longer a
delegate".
In the government work report, China reiterated a call for
"reunification" with Taiwan, but added emphasis that it wants to "be
firm" in doing so and dropped the descriptor "peaceful", which had
been used in previous reports.
Although it is not the first time that China had omitted the word
"peaceful", the change in language is closely watched as a possible
sign of more assertive stance towards Taiwan.
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council on Tuesday urged China to accept
the fact that the two sides are not subordinate to each other, and
urged China to create health cross-strait exchanges.
The island's defense minister had said on Tuesday Taiwan's armed
forces would increase the number of missile drills they hold this
year.
Wen-Ti Sung, a political scientist and fellow at the Atlantic
Council, said that the language on Taiwan has "moderately hardened".
"Beijing appears to be balancing between projecting increased
toughness on Taiwan with stabilizing relations with Taiwan's
international friends," he said.
After the Democratic Progressive Party's Lai Ching-te won the
presidential election in Taiwan, the Chinese Communist Party's
fourth-ranked leader, Wang Huning, said at a high-level Taiwan
policy meeting last month that China would "resolutely combat" any
efforts towards Taiwan independence this year.
Previous statements from the annual meeting only vowed to
"resolutely oppose" Taiwan independence.
($1 = 7.1987 Chinese yuan renminbi)
(Reporting by Beijing newsroom, additional reporting by Yimou Lee in
Taipei, Greg Torode in Hong Kong, Yoshifumi Takemoto in Tokyo
Hyonhee Shin in Seoul and Kirsty Needham in Sydney; Editing by Tom
Hogue, Christopher Cushing, Gerry Doyle and Kim COghill)
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