10 | Tuesday, March 5, 2019 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY VIEWS Worries over defense budget unwarranted

Editor's Note: China’s defense budget By contrast, a very high defense budget growth has always been an easy target of would impose too heavy a burden on tax­ some Western media outlets. Why does Chi­ payers and choke economic growth at a na need to steadily increase its defense bud­ time when China is undergoing an econom­ get? And why there is no need for the world ic transition, which requires abundant capi­ to be worried about it? Two experts share their views on this issue with China Daily’s tal support. So the defense budget suits Liu Jianna. Excerpts follow: China’s development reality and security landscape, especially if we take into account various factors. That Taiwan kicks up a row whenever Defense budget growth Beijing unveils its defense budget shows it normal and reasonable suffers from guilty consciousness. Had some Taiwan politicians not promoted “Tai­ wan independence”, the island would have Rear Admiral Yang Yi, had no reason to feel anxious or worried former director gener­ about Beijing’s normal increase in military al of the Institute of spending. After all, the goal of increasing Strategic Studies, the defense budget is to safeguard the National Defense Uni­ nation’s territorial integrity, among which versity PLA deterring “Taiwan independence” separa­ tists from making any wrong moves is an important part.

Asked about this year’s defense budget, Important to raise Zhang Yesui, spokesman for the second ses­ soldiers’ salaries sion of the 13th National People’s Congress said on Monday that it is necessary for Chi­ na to reasonably increase its defense spend­ Liu Qiang, a professor ing for military modernization. And China at the Institute of Inter­ has the room of increasing its defense bud­ national Relations, PLA get as the defense spending accounted for National University of only 1.3 percent of its GDP in 2018 com­ Defense Technology. pared with more than 2 percent for main developed countries. Zhang also said it is not the increase in defense budget, but a country’s foreign and As the third­largest country with 9.6 mil­ defense policies, which decides whether it lion square kilometers of landmass and 3 poses a threat to other countries. million square kilometers of sea area under But for a long time governments and its jurisdiction, China needs to spend what media in several countries including the appears as a large sum of money to safe­ United States and Japan have hyped China’s guard national security. But when com­ military budget growth with different pared with the US military budget of $686.1 motives. The US wants China to put a cap billion for 2019, that sum is not at all large, on its military budget so as to maintain its especially if we consider the fact that China absolute advantage in the security and mili­ needs to significantly raise the salaries of its tary fields, as is evident from Washington’s defense personnel, whose sacrifice in pro­ “Indo­Pacific” strategy. In fact, it is part of tecting the country’s national security has the US’ desperate effort to sustain its all­ not yet been fully recognized. around hegemony. The pay and treatment Chinese defense Japan, on its part, has been hyping up the personnel get are relatively less than what so­called threat from the People’s Liberation many Asian countries’ defense personnel Army, as well as portraying the Democratic receive — let alone the US, whose defense People’s Republic of Korea as a security personnel get the highest pay in the challenge so it can develop its own military world. power. As President Xi Jinping, who is also the Yet a louder voice does not necessarily chairman of the Central Military Commis­ place a critic on a moral high ground, espe­ sion, said, serving the military should be cially if the criticism is hollow. To begin made a respected profession. To this end, with, whether in terms of its size, per capita the defense personnel’s financial wellness military expenditure, or percentage of its must be improved first to ensure they GDP, China’s military budget remains rath­ remain fully devoted to safeguarding er low. For example, the US allocated funds national defense without having to worry equivalent to 3.15 percent of GDP to its mili­ SONG CHEN / CHINA DAILY about their families or their future. tary budget in 2017 according to the World It is vital for China to focus on its practi­ Bank, while China’s defense budget added cal defense needs and ignore those who up to only 1.3 percent of its GDP. Moreover, regular basis. Apart from its defense policy Facing different security challenges and pay to strengthen national security. make a fuss over its rising defense budget. the US’ military budget alone is equal to the which is defensive in nature, China has demands, it is only reasonable for countries Given the rising prices and China’s rela­ China should also strike a balance between military budgets of a dozen countries com­ been most transparent in its strategic inten­ to devise different defense strategies to safe­ tively good economic performance, the safeguarding national security and promot­ bined. tions. For instance, it promises never to use guard their national security and interests. defense budget growth of 8.1 percent in ing economic development — and the In addition, China has become increas­ nuclear weapons first and is committed to Thanks to four decades of rapid economic 2018 is balanced and reasonable. Had it defense budget has been fixed by keeping ingly transparent when it comes to modern­ avoiding conflicts and building friendly growth, China is now the world’s second­ been lower, the Ministry of National that very fact in mind. izing the PLA, issuing white papers on the relations with neighboring countries, and largest economy and has the ability to Defense would face financial constraints development of its military and conducting has its warming relationship with Japan to spend more on defense to modernize its and find it hard to carry out its various pro­ The views don’t necessarily represent those various overseas exchange programs on a show for that. military and raise its defense personnel’s grams to safeguard the country’s security. of China Daily.

Wu Ge Unified leadership can better fight corruption

he reform of the national supervi­ and warned that there remain problems in missions at all levels will integrate the work er, the 19th Party Congress made a strategic The move will also help enrich and devel­ sory system, a major step toward China’s supervision system and mechanism of administrative supervision departments, plan to deepen the national supervisory op the system of people’s congresses, have a promoting institutional restruc­ that need to be addressed through reforms. corruption prevention agencies and procura­ system reform, and extended the pilot plan far­reaching impact on the development of turing that will have far­reaching First, the scope of Party supervision is too torial organs in probes against and handling nationwide. socialist democracy, and help strengthen Tsocial and political implications, is China’s narrow. Before the national supervision of corruption cases, and issues related to der­ In March 2018, the first session of the the belief of the people in the path, theory, important top­level design for a new system reform, the Party’s anti­graft reach eliction of duty and malfeasance. 13th National People’s Congress passed the system and culture of socialism with Chi­ national supervisory system and important extended to only intra­Party supervision, Third, previously the investigations were amendment to the Constitution and the nese characteristics. move to modernize its governance system according to the Party Constitution. not multi­dimensional. Compared with the Supervision Law, and decided to set up the and capacity. But according to the original provisions widely applied shuanggui (suspects National Supervisory Commission. That Using innovation to make At a collective study session of the mem­ of the Administrative Supervision Law, the required by the Party’s discipline watchdog marked a major milestone in the national governance more effective bers of the Political Bureau of the Commu­ targets of administrative supervision are to report their problems at a designated supervisory system reform and the build­ Using innovative methods in supervision, nist Party of China Central Committee on mainly administrative organs and their place and time) in the past, the leadership ing of a national governance system with and establishing self­supervision system for Dec 13, CPC Central Committee General staff. Which means the supervisory system announced at the 19th CPC National Con­ Chinese characteristics. Since their estab­ the Party are an important way to resolve Secretary Xi Jinping highlighted the objec­ did not cover all the officials exercising gress in October 2017 that henceforth a sus­ lishment, the supervisory commissions at the self­supervision issue. In accordance tives and tasks of deepening the discipline public power. The new reform, however, pect would be placed under normal all levels have integrated the functions of with the instruction of the December col­ inspection and supervision system reform, can organically combine intra­Party super­ “detention” and the supervisory organs shall previous discipline and supervision organs, lective study session of the Political Bureau and re­emphasized that standardizing and vision with State supervision and bring all use multiple means approved by the top leg­ and used various investigative measures to of the CPC Central Committee chaired by correctly exercising supervisory power the officials exercising public power under islature to investigate the case against him fight corruption. Xi, the third plenum of the 19th CPC Cen­ could propel the reform and promote the supervision, and thus fill the previous gap or her. Such an arrangement, the authorities tral Commission for Discipline Inspection standardization of legislation of anti­cor­ in the supervision mechanism. said, would help solve the long­standing Central role of Party charted the next steps for the reform of the ruption work. law­related problem, and increase the chan­ in fighting corruption discipline inspection and supervision sys­ The CPC has always attached great Divided responsibility ces of bringing the guilty to book. During the process of national superviso­ tem, and called for institutional innovation importance to fighting corruption, because in fight against graft ry system reform, China has learned from and advantages to make governance more it sees it as a major political task related to Second, the anti­corruption organs under Reform aims to bolster other countries’ experiences of how best to effective. the future of the Party and the country. the previous supervision system were scat­ Party’s leadership combat corruption. And it has used those Continuous efforts will be made to deep­ Since the 18th National Congress of the tered. Before the national supervisory sys­ The national supervisory system reform’s experiences to bring all civil servants under en the national supervisory system reform. CPC in November 2012, the Party Central tem reform, the Party’s discipline fundamental goal is to strengthen the cen­ supervision, and established the central And the Party’s top discipline watchdog Committee with Xi as the core has adopted inspection organ could launch investiga­ tralized and unified leadership of the Party role of the Party in fighting corruption. and the National Supervisory Commission a zero­tolerance approach to corruption tions against Party members violating Party in the fight against corruption, and to build With the overall framework of the nation­ will further strengthen the top­level design, and launched a campaign to trap the discipline in accordance with the Party a unified, authoritative and highly efficient al supervisory system being established, integrate the laws and regulations on “tigers” (high­ranking corrupt officials), Constitution, while administrative supervi­ supervision system. It is also aimed at China’s institutional advantages have been accountability, supervision and investiga­ slap the “flies” (lower­level corrupt officials) sory organs could do the same against establishing inclusive supervision over the constantly translated into effective govern­ tion, and promote the establishment of a and pursue the “foxes” (corrupt officials on administrative personnel for violating laws use of public power, and strengthening self­ ance, and proved that the CPC Central Com­ unified decision­making, discipline and the run). The campaign has achieved great and regulations, and the procuratorial supervision of the Party. mittee’s decision to deepen the national law­enforcement mechanism, so as to put success in combating corruption, promot­ organs could conduct probes against State The CPC Central Committee with Xi as supervisory system reform is correct. power in the “cage of law”, and provide ing clean governance, and wining public employees in accordance with the Criminal the core attaches great importance to this The deepening of the national superviso­ institutional guarantees for meeting great­ support and high endorsement from the Procedure Law. job. It has presided over six special meet­ ry system reform is conducive to not only er strategic targets to help the Party exer­ international community. That meant different law enforcement ings to devise a road map for the national strengthening the Party’s centralized and cise strict self­governance. agencies’ functions overlapped as there was supervisory system reform. In October unified leadership and improving the Par­ Anti-graft fight fraught no unified law enforcement authority. The 2016, it approved a pilot reform program ty’s supervisory system, but also intensify­ The author is vice­president of China Acad­ with complex challenges latest reform will enable the establishment of for Beijing, and Shanxi and Zhejiang prov­ ing the fight against corruption and emy of Discipline Inspection and Supervi­ Yet Xi has said the country’s fight against a unified graft­fighting system under the Par­ inces, which would be extended to the rest enhancing people’s confidence and trust in sion. The views don’t necessarily represent corruption still faces complex challenges, ty’s leadership, in which supervisory com­ of the country if proved effective. A year lat­ the Party. those of China Daily.