Beijing: Ahead of unveiling of China's defence budget, the official media on Thursday called for a considerable increase in last year's military spending of about US$ 145 billion in view of the growing confrontation with the US in the disputed South China Sea.
"In the context of the US' accelerated military deployment in the Asia-Pacific region, its strengthening of military alliances with countries in the region and increased military provocations in the South China Sea, it is only reasonable to
make comparison between China's military spending and that of the US," state-run China Daily said in an editorial.
"A large military gap between China and the US is unfavourable to world peace, and may spark risky military moves from the US, the stronger party," it said.
"Washington's recent show of its military muscle in the South China Sea can largely be attributed to its superior military strength. The stronger China is militarily, the less the US will be motivated to make such military provocations," it said, referring to US Navy's forays in South China Sea challenging China's claims of sovereignty around the artificial islands built by Beijing.
"China's exact military budget for this year is yet to be revealed, but a majority of Chinese people look forward to a considerable increase," it said.
The budget is expected to be released in the next few days or in the policy speech of Premier Li Keqiang to be delivered to the legislature, the National People's Congress, (NPC) on Saturday.
China has been steadily increasing its defence budget in the last few years taking it to about US$ 145 billion, next only to the US defence spending of about USD 599 billion.
From India's point of view, China's defence spending is almost three times more.
The defence budget of Rs 2.58 lakh crore proposed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his latest budget pegs the spending at about US$ 40 billion for 2016-17.
Making a case for increase in the defence budget, the editorial said: "Compared with the 10 large aircraft carrier battle groups the US possesses, China only has an intermediate-sized aircraft carrier that is not part of its fighting capabilities.
"That means China still has a lot to do to upgrade its military combat system. There is a belief that only after its military budget is at least a half or two-thirds that of the US, can China realise an initial strategic balance with the US in the Asia-Pacific," it said.
China is also revamping its military under a new initiative of President Xi Jinping to focus on winning local wars.
Besides the strategic rivalry with the US, China is entangled in a maritime dispute in the South China Sea with Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, Taiwan and Japan, and its long-running border dispute with India has not been resolved either.
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