In China8217;s Defence

China's defence spending has risen steadily in recent years and Parliament is expected to approve another year of double-digit growth in the military budget when the National's People's Congress convenes on March 5.

China8217;s defence spending has risen steadily in recent years and Parliament is expected to approve another year of double-digit growth in the military budget when the National8217;s People8217;s Congress convenes on March 5.

World8217;s Biggest Army

8226; China8217;s 2,255,000 troops are almost double the size of the world8217;s second largest army 8212; the US, whose forces number 1,546,372.

8226; China8217;s 1.6 million-strong army, 225,000 Navy and 400,000 Air Force personnel, include 800,000 reserves.

8226; There are also 3,969,000 paramilitaries.

Red Army Roots

8226; The People8217;s Liberation Army PLA was born out of the Red Army, a five-million strong peasant army. The PLA became the national armed force in 1949, as communist leader Mao Zedong swept to power.

8226; Soviet expertise helped organise it into a mass army, geared towards protracted wars of attrition during the 1950s, when it fought in the 1950-1953 Korean War.

New Directions

8226; The PLA is now being transformed into a modern force capable of fighting short, high-intensity conflicts against high-tech adversaries.

8226; China-watchers are also monitoring international deployments for signs of China8217;s rising global status translating into a more assertive foreign policy and presence.

Increased Spending

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8226; In 2006, the National People8217;s Congress announced a 14.7 per cent rise in the annual defence budget, to 284 billion yuan 36.6 billion.

8226; Foreign analysts say the true amount of defence spending is 1.5 to three times that.

8226; China8217;s estimated defence spending rose from 39.9 billion in 1999 to 80 billion in 2005.

8226; US spending rose from 292.1 billion to 518.1 billion over the same period.

US Concerns

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8226; The US Department of Defence8217;s 2006 report to Congress stated that China8217;s military build-up appears focussed on Taiwan Strait contingencies, but also said China8217;s leaders have not adequately explained the purpose of their military expansion.

8226; This lack of facts about China8217;s military led the US Congress to pass 1997 legislation requiring the Department of Defence to submit its annual PLA report to Congress.