Defence Budget: India vs China

Bangalore: China will be spending almost thrice as much as India on defence, as per its official figures. This indicates that China is focused on increasing its comprehensive national power in spite of global recessionary trends. On the other hand India announced a marginal defence budget hike for the year 2013-14, cutting the quantum of its defence budget hike. Indian defence analysts are now anxious with the sharp Chinese defence budget hike, reported Sridhar Kumaraswami for Deccan Chronicle.

India had also cut its capital expenditure for weaponry and equipment for military modernisation by Rs 10,000 crore in the present financial year 2012-13.

According to reports from Beijing, China has increased its defence budget by 10.7 percent to $115.7 billion which is approximately thrice that of India, which stands at about $37.4 billion for 2013-14.

A defence analyst said “the hidden component of the Chinese defence budget is usually about 60 percent which means that the actual Chinese defence budget could well be close to $180 billion,” as reported by Deccan Chronicle.

He further said “The Chinese defence budget hike this time of 10 percent is in conformity with the normal pattern of 10 percent hike every year. This shows that the global recessionary trends do not seem to have affected the Chinese defence budget.”

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