China says its military spending ‘completely out of need’ amid proposal to halve it

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - China on Tuesday said that its military spending is “completely out of the need of safeguarding national sovereignty,” following the Russian president’s remark that Moscow is open to discussing halving military spending with Washington and Beijing.

“China is committed to peaceful development. Its limited defense spending is completely out of the need of safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, and the need of maintaining world peace,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a news conference.

Beijing “upholds a self-defense strategy, pursues coordinated development between its economy and national defense, and never engages in any arms race with any country,” Lin added.

He said that global defense spending is at an all-time high due to the “increasingly tense international and regional security situation and growing security deficit.”

He called on the “major countries” to “take the lead in serving as a propeller for global solidarity and an anchor for world peace.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday expressed Moscow’s readiness to discuss with the US the possibility of reducing defense budgets, proposing a 50% cut for both countries to ease global military tensions.

“Russia is ready to discuss with the US the possibility of cutting defense spending,” Putin said, adding, “a 50% reduction in military budgets by both countries would be a good idea,” according to Russia’s state-run Tass news agency.

Putin also had expressed that Beijing could join too “if it wanted.”

The Russian president’s remarks came after US President Donald Trump said on Feb. 13: “One of the first meetings I want to have is with President Xi of China, President Putin of Russia. And I want to say: ‘Let’s cut our military budget in half.”

Putin and China’s President Xi Jinping also spoke over the phone and discussed strengthening "strategic cooperation" between their countries and Moscow’s recent contacts with Washington, according to a statement from the Kremlin.