Via Gulf Times -
BEIJING: China said yesterday it will begin reporting its armed forces budget to the UN and rejoin a global register of conventional arms amid foreign pressure for greater military transparency.
China said the moves were meant to show the world its commitment to military transparency, at a time when its massive armed forces expansion is causing alarm bells to ring in Asia and further afield.
“The Chinese government has decided to report annually to the secretary-general of the UN basic data of its military expenditures for the latest fiscal year,” said a statement by foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu.
“This is a significant step on the part of China in further enhancing its military transparency, which fully demonstrates that China is committed to improving mutual trust with other countries in the military field.”
China will also resume providing data required under the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms starting from this year, the statement said.
The register is aimed at tracking transfers of arms worldwide. China quit the agreement in the late 1990s amid anger over US arms sales to Beijing’s diplomatic rival Taiwan.
China, which already has the world’s largest armed forces with 2.3mn men and women in uniform, has dramatically beefed up its military in recent years, causing jitters in Asia and the United States about Beijing’s intent.
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