2016年CRI China Announces 7.6-pct Defense Budget Rise, Lowest in Six Years

 

According to the budget report delivered at the national legislature annual session, Beijing plans to raise the 2016 defense¹ budget by 7.6 percent to 954 billion yuan, or about 146 billion U.S. dollars.

Chen Zhou is a deputy to the top legislature, and an expert on national defense policy and military strategy.

He says that though the rate hike between 7 and 8 percent would be China's lowest increase for defense spending in six years,

But he stresses that increased defense spending must be a priority.

"No matter for the sake of security, for the need to meet the challenges of military reform, or for the need to deepen the reform and fulfill² our obligations, we must unswervingly increase our national defense capabilities³ continuously, so as to accelerate our technological⁴ innovation and breakthrough and to accelerate our building of an elite⁵ combat force and promote our army's transformation⁶ from quantity-orientation to a focus on quality and efficiency."

He says the development of China's national defense must be coordinated⁷ with the development of the economy.

"Our country should determine the scale of its defense budget, which should adhere to the principle of coordinated development of defense and economy. It should also comply with the need of national defense and the level of the country's economic development."

Chen says China's defense budget has accounted for an average of 1.3 percent of the country's GDP in the past decade, which is significantly lower than the world average figure of 2.6 percent.

Last year, China's defense spending amounted to only 24 percent of that in the United States.

Chen says compared with other world powers, China's defense budget is rather low no matter if you look at it in terms of its proportion to GDP, or in terms of civilian⁸ per capita or military per capita defense fees."

Military experts say the cut of 300,000 service people announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September might also have helped drive down the defense budget growth figure.

National People's Congress spokesperson Fu Ying said earlier that China's troops will faithfully perform their sacred duty to the people.

"Talking about the troops, President Xi Jinping said during the Sept. 3 military parade that, 'The People's Liberation Army of China will faithfully perform its sacred duty of safeguarding national security and the peaceful life of the people, and loyally carry out its holy mission of maintaining world peace.' Currently, we are carrying out a 'military reform' - that is reforms of the defense system and the forces. This is also in a bid to better realize such goals."

Premier⁹ Li Keqiang said in the annual government work report that China will make its military more revolutionary, modern, and better structured.

Li said the military works meticulously¹⁰ to ensure combat readiness and control of border, coastal¹¹ and air defenses.

The premier says logistics and equipment development will be stepped up and the military's size and structure will undergo reforms.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

3 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

4 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

5 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

6 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

7 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

8 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

9 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

10 meticulously   

adv.过细地，异常细致地；无微不至；精心

参考例句：

• The hammer's silvery head was etched with holy runs and its haft was meticulously wrapped in blue leather. 锤子头是纯银制成的，雕刻着神圣符文，而握柄则被精心地包裹在蓝色的皮革中。 来自辞典例句
• She is always meticulously accurate in punctuation and spelling. 她的标点和拼写总是非常精确。 来自辞典例句

11 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。