NPC spokesman: Defense spending 'no threat' to any country

China's investment in its military is not targeted at and does not pose a threat to any other country, the spokesman for the fourth session of the 13th National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, said at a press conference on Thursday.

Zhang Yesui said a moderate, stable increase in China's defense expenditure is for the protection of the nation's sovereignty, security and development interests and is needed for the nation to fulfill its international obligations and facilitate its military reform.?

China's annual defense budget is transparent and open, as it is included in the overall national budget to be reviewed and approved by the NPC, he said, adding China has reported its annual military spending to the United Nations each year since 2007.

"To judge whether a country poses a threat to other nations, the key lies in the nature of its defense policies," Zhang said. "China is committed to a path of peaceful development, and pursues a defense policy that is defensive in nature. Our development in military strength is not aimed at and does not pose a threat to other nations."

The defense budget for the 2020 fiscal year saw the lowest year-on-year increase in more than three decades as the central government proposed spending of about 1.27 trillion yuan ($196.34 billion), a 6.6 percent rise on the 2019 defense budget.

That was the lowest growth rate since 1988, when a 3.81 percent increase in the defense budget was proposed.

In fiscal 2019, the central government raised the defense budget by about 7.5 percent year-on-year, setting military expenditures at nearly 1.19 trillion yuan.