China's increased defence spending to meet 'complex security challenges'

Increases in China's defence budget have been "appropriate and reasonable" and are aimed at meeting "complex security challenges", a government spokesman said. Wang Chao gave no indication of whether the rate of increase to be announced on Sunday at the opening of the National People's Congress's annual session in Beijing would be above or below last year's 7.1 per cent. But he said the defence budget has remained stable as a share of GDP and that China's military modernisation "will not be a threat to any country". "On the contrary, it will only be a positive force for safeguarding regional…