Chinese govt issues defence white paper
China said it is working to 'advance the Sino-Indian military relationship' in a brief mention in its defence policy paper released on Thursday.
China said it is working to 'advance the Sino-Indian military relationship' in a brief mention in its defence policy paper released on Thursday.
The military said that 'relevant major powers are increasing strategic investment' in the Asia Pacific region where security is becoming more 'intricate and volatile'. It did not name India in this context, but singled out the US regional military alliances.
"Suspicion about China, interference and countering moves against China from the outside are on the increase."
The document said China is beefing up the border and coastal defences with combined military, police and civilian efforts and an advanced 'informationisation' of border defence.
"In recent years, China has steadily improved a border and coastal defense force system featuring the PLA as mainstay, the coordination and cooperation of relevant forces, and the extensive participation of the militia, reserve forces and people in the border and coastal areas,'' it said.
The paper reiterated that China's military policy is defensive on the strategy of 'attacking only after being attacked'. On the domestic front, it promised a crackdown on East Turkestan and Tibetan 'separatist' forces that have inflicted 'serious damage on national security and social stability'.
The Chinese military received a 12.7% hike in its official budget this year, up from a single-digit increase last year. On the record, military spending for 2011 is $91.5 billion. New types of submarines, frigates, aircraft and large support vessels have been deployed as planned, it said, without mention of its aircraft carrier project.