China expands military budget by 11 per cent
China announced an increase of 11.2 per cent in its annual military budget Sunday, amid international concern over its growing defence spending in recent years.The draft defence budget for 2012 was set at 670 billion yuan (106.4 billion dollars) in 2012, up 11.2 per cent from 2011, a spokesman for China's legislative body, the National People's Congress, said. The government says it needs the increased funds to modernize its 2.5-million-strong People's Liberation Army. But foreign politicians and analysts have raised concerns over the speed and transparency of its military expansion. Li Zhaoxing, the spokesman for the congress, said recent annual increases reflected 'reasonable and appropriate growth of defence spending'. Military spending as a proportion of China's gross domestic product fell from 1.33 per cent in 2008 to 1.28 per cent last year, he said. Li said China was committed to 'peaceful development,' and he insisted the military buildup was merely defensive. It will not in the least pose a threat to other countries,' he said. 'The Chinese government follows the principle of coordinating defence development with economic development,' Li said. 'It sets the country's defence spending according to the requirement of national defence and the level of economic development. The 3,000-member National People's Congress is scheduled to discuss and approve the national budget during its annual 10-day session, which begins on Monday. Some Western critics claim China's real military spending is up to three times the budget figure, but Li said the budget included the cost of all weapons systems. Chinese analysts and state media said earlier this year that US President Barack Obama's shift of military focus to the Asia-Pacific region marked a major change that appeared to target China.
China announced an increase of 11.2 per cent in its annual military budget Sunday, amid international concern over its growing defence spending in recent years.The draft defence budget for 2012 was set at 670 billion yuan (106.4 billion dollars) in 2012, up 11.2 per cent from 2011, a spokesman for China's legislative body, the National People's Congress, said. The government says it needs the increased funds to modernize its 2.5-million-strong People's Liberation Army. But foreign politicians and analysts have raised concerns over the speed and transparency of its military expansion. Li Zhaoxing, the spokesman for the congress, said recent annual increases reflected 'reasonable and appropriate growth of defence spending'. Military spending as a proportion of China's gross domestic product fell from 1.33 per cent in 2008 to 1.28 per cent last year, he said. Li said China was committed to 'peaceful development,' and he insisted the military buildup was merely defensive. It will not in the least pose a threat to other countries,' he said. 'The Chinese government follows the principle of coordinating defence development with economic development,' Li said. 'It sets the country's defence spending according to the requirement of national defence and the level of economic development. The 3,000-member National People's Congress is scheduled to discuss and approve the national budget during its annual 10-day session, which begins on Monday. Some Western critics claim China's real military spending is up to three times the budget figure, but Li said the budget included the cost of all weapons systems. Chinese analysts and state media said earlier this year that US President Barack Obama's shift of military focus to the Asia-Pacific region marked a major change that appeared to target China.
H5N2 avian flu strikes Taiwan
Taiwans agricultural authority has reported the first outbreak of the lethal burd flue caused by H5N2 virus. So far two bird-farms were affected by the epidemy and altogether nearly 60 thousand birds had to be slaughtered, said the Council of Agriculture. The outbreak has been reported to the World Organisation of Animal Health. The decision to slaughter the animals came with a delay, which was due to the time needed for the confirmation that in fact the cases were caused by the H5N2 virus. Authorities emphasized that the virus is means no danger to humans. Although the outbreak was detected at only two chicken farms, as prevention measures a full scale ban has been imposed on all poultry exports from the island.
Afghan police operation kills 2 militants, another 12 arrested
Afghan police backed by army and the NATO-led troops have killed two anti-government militants and captured a dozen others over the past 24 hours, Interior Ministry said in a statement released here Sunday."During the past 24 hours, Afghan National Police, Afghan National Army and Coalition Forces launched five joint operations in Nangarhar, Baghlan, Kunduz, Kandahar and Helmand provinces as a result of these operations, two armed insurgents were killed and 12 others were arrested by Afghan National Police," the statement added.Also, during these operations, Afghan National Police discovered and confiscated a number of arms and ammunitions including one rocket launcher, 200 light rounds, 20 heavy rounds, 11 anti-vehicle mines, eight boxes of machine gun bullets, 10 hand grenades and 30 kilograms of opium, the statement further said.However, it did not say if there was any causality on the security forces.Taliban militants fighting Afghan and NATO-led forces have yet to make comment.
ASEAN preapres for April summit
The ASEAN senior officials in charge of the bloc's economic, security and socio-cultural communities met Phnom Pehn, Cambodia on Sunday in order to prepare agendas and documents for the 20th ASEAN Summit and related Summits on April 3- 4. Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Soeung Rathchavy, a secretary of state at Cambodia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, reaffirmed that as the 2012 ASEAN chair, Cambodia would do all its best to ensure that the ASEAN leaders' summits and other related summits this year would be conducted successfully. "I strongly believe that 2012's ASEAN summits and related summits will bring about strategic and political significance as well as concrete and successful outcomes which will further contribute to the ASEAN process towards the realization of ASEAN community by 2015," she said. She added that Cambodia would continue encouraging the greater participation of the ASEAN people and seeking more active support from dialogue partners and other interested parties in achieving hard and soft infrastructure connectivity within ASEAN, whilst continue pursuing further toward East Asia connectivity. According to the agendas, during the three-day joint preparatory meeting and related meetings, the ASEAN senior officials would discuss and prepare documents in the economic, security and socio-cultural communities for the next month's ASEAN Summit and related Summits. In the economic community, they would update the progress in the cooperation in human resources development, recognition of professional qualifications, closer consultation on macroeconomic and financial policies, trade financing measures, enhanced infrastructure and communications connectivity, aiming at transforming ASEAN into a region with free movement of goods, services, investment, skilled labor, and freer flow of capital by 2015. For the security community, the officials would debate documents on the regional Code of Conduct in the South China Sea ( COC) and Thailand's views on the regional Code of Conduct of the parties in the South China Sea, the establishment of an ASEAN Institute for Peace and Recommendation, the protocol to the treaty on the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone, and ASEAN Maritime Security. On the socio-cultural community, they would arrange a number of documents including Concept Paper on Small and Medium-Size Cultural Enterprises, ASEAN Regional Festival of Arts and Culture on Building ASEAN Community of Caring Society, Concept Paper on ASEAN TV Channel, the issues of migrant workers, drug, climate change, education, heath, disaster management, women and children, and people with disabilities. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
North Korean leader visits truce village
Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un has recently visited the truce village of Panmunjom, the official news agency KCNA reported Sunday.Kim, supreme commander of the Korean People's Army and supreme leader of the Workers' Party of Korea, said he was greatly satisfied that all the soldiers on the outpost were "following every move of the enemies with vigilance and performing their combat duties in a responsible manner," the KCNA said. The soldiers should "always maintain the maximum alertness as they are standing in confrontation with the enemies at all times," he said during an inspection tour of Panmunjom, where the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement was signed. During the inspection, Kim visited several places at Panmunjom, including he Monument to President Kim Il Sung's Signature, the Phanmun Pavilion, and the Thongil House. Visiting the conference room of the armistice talks and the hall where the armistice agreement was signed, he said these places should be well preserved and managed. If fighting occurs in the future, the army and people of the DPRK will force the enemies "to sign a paper of surrender, not simply putting signatures on the armistice agreement," he stressed.
Two more dead in Philippines bomb attack
The death toll in the bomb explosion blamed on militants on Saturday night in a commercial area in the southern Philippine province of Sulu rose to four, authorities said Sunday. Randolph Cabangbang, spokesman of the military's Western Mindanao Command, said two more wounded had died at the hospital after an improvised explosive device blast along Serantes Street in Jolo town at around 6:55 p.m. Saturday, which killed two people instantly. Besides the four casualties, there are six others injured in the terror attack. "We have four fatalities, only two died soon after the explosion, " he said. Felicisimo Khu, chief of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations in Western Mindanao, said investigation by the police indicated that the bomb was planted at the generator of the store in the area. No one group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but government security forces said they are looking into possible involvement of the Abu Sayyaf terror group.
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