Officials soothe US military concerns
4 January 2007
China reassured a delegation from the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee visiting Beijing that its military spending poses no threat, AFP reported. Meeting with the delegation Tuesday, Chinese legislators pointed out that the country's defense expenditure as a proportion of GDP is still low compared to some other nations. "China has no intention nor ability to conduct an arms race with other countries, and it does not pose a threat to the security of other countries," state media said, citing a statement issued by Beijing. The Chinese also warned the US not to send the "wrong signals" to Taiwan's pro-independence lobby. According to China's defense policy paper issued at the end of December, Beijing's defense spending was equal to 1.35% of GDP in 2005. In the US, it was 6.3%.