People’s Congress in Beijing: China votes for a significant increase in the military budget

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As expected, about 2,900 delegates at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday approved the budget, which calls for a 7.2 percent increase in defense spending this year to 1.67 trillion yuan (about 205 billion francs). . Chinese military spending had already increased by the same amount last year.

The renewed sharp increase comes against the backdrop of communist leaders’ threats against democratic Taiwan and China’s territorial disputes with its neighbors in the South and East China Seas.

On the sidelines of this year’s annual meeting of the People’s Congress, Foreign Minister Wang Yi mainly warned against interference in the so-called Taiwan issue. “Whoever supports Taiwan’s independence will burn himself and swallow the bitter pill for his actions,” Wang said.

China will never allow Taiwan to secede from the mainland. Wang described the recent legislative and presidential elections in Taiwan in mid-January as “local elections in a part of China.”

Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party, which Beijing views as separatist, won the January election. The inauguration is scheduled for May 20. Lai replaces two-term President Tsai Ing-wen, who is also a member of the Progressive Party.

Beijing considers Taiwan a Chinese territory, even though a democratically elected government has been in power there for decades and the Communist Party in Beijing has never ruled the island. China wants to unite the island with the mainland by military means if necessary. (SDA)

Source: Blick