China Defends Expanded Military After Memories of ‘Bullying’
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China’s push to boost its defense capability has become a key to maintaining peace in Asia and stems from lessons learned after being bullied, a spokeswoman for the country’s legislature told a briefing today.
China seeks to solve disputes through negotiation and diplomacy, National People’s Congress spokeswoman Fu Ying said on the eve of the legislature’s annual session. In a break with precedent dating back at least to 2005, Fu declined to release a defense spending forecast for this year, saying the figure would be included in the overall budget. That information is expected to be disclosed tomorrow when the NPC starts.