Awwal 29, 1432 H/March 4, 2011, SPA -- China will boost its defense spending by 12.7 percent this year, a legislative spokesman said Friday, while reiterating that Beijing's return to double-digit military budget growth after a dip in 2010 is not a threat to other countries, as AP reported. China's defense buildup and military plans in recent years have alarmed its neighbors and the United States, where military and political leaders have spoken about a lack of transparency and cooperation in the process. The increase to just over 601 billion yuan ($91.5 billion) would go toward «appropriate» hardware spending and salary increases for the 2.3 million members of the People's Liberation Army, spokesman Li Zhaoxing told a news conference in the Great Hall of the People, the seat of the legislature. Chinese media reports say members of the PLA, the world's largest standing military, will receive raises of up to 40 percent his year, their third pay increase in six years.
