|
|
Chinese president stresses Party loyalty and modernization (2) |
 |
+ |
- |
17:37, August 01, 2007 |
Hu also said the Chinese People''s Liberation Army had grown in strength and become more modernized and professional through eight decades of development.
The PLA is "no longer a small, single-service force, but a strong and multiple-service force," which has made progress in modernization and is stepping toward an information technology-based army, Hu said.
He said China''s defense budget would gradually be increased as its national economy grew.
"We will gradually increase investment in national defense as the economy grows, and continue to modernize national defense and the armed forces in a way that serves the interests of our national security and development," he said.
The Chinese top legislature approved in March a national defense budget for the 2007 fiscal year of 44.94 billion U.S. dollars, an annual increase of 17.8 percent.
Hu said, the modernization of national defense and armed forces "is the historical mission of the PLA and the common cause of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups."
The President stressed that, while adhering to the defensive nature of the country''s military buildup, China must build a "slim but strong" armed forces by striking a sound balance between speed, quality and efficiency in the modernization drive of the country''s 2.3 million-member troops.
[1] [2] [3]
|
|
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article