China's military is ready to step up training and boost its ability to defend the nation's territory, a top army official said in remarks published Monday, warning Taiwan against attempting to declare independence.
Guo Boxiong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission [file photo] | "We resolutely oppose 'Taiwan independence' and will never allow 'Taiwan independence' secessionist forces to make Taiwan secede from China under any name and by any means," the official Xinhua News Agency quoted Guo Boxiong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, as saying.
Beijing stepped up its stance against Taiwan after Chen Shui-bian, recently shut down a "Taiwanese government body" devoted to seeking unification with the mainland.
Guo denounced Chen's move as a step toward independence for Taiwan, calling it a "grave provocation" that would seriously undermine peace and stability, Xinhua said.
"We will make utmost efforts with maximum sincerity to safeguard and promote peaceful and steady development of relations across the Taiwan Strait and seek peaceful reunification," Guo told a gathering of military delegates to China's parliament in Beijing.
Guo called on the 2.5 million-member army to step up training and improve its combat capability to ensure it can "resolutely safeguard national security, reunification, and the integrity of China's territory," Xinhua said.
On Sunday, the government announced that its military budget will rise 14.7 percent this year to 283.8 billion yuan (US$35.3 billion; euro28.6 billion).
Despite its huge size, China's military is said to lag well behind those of other major nations. In recent years, leaders have focused on improved training and advanced technology, hoping to close that gap.
Military delegates to the parliament complained that the spending increases were not sufficient.
"The contradiction between demand and supply of military funds remains obvious," said Yang Xuhua, an army delegate, after hearing the government's plans for 2006.
"We are very much concerned about the Taiwan issue. The army must improve its capability in defense and dealing with emergencies," Yang said.
Other military delegates also expressed disappointment, the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post reported Monday.
"The increase is less than we expected, in comparison with the 27 percent increase in state revenues last year," it quoted General Zhang Wentai, political commissar of the PLA's General Logistics Department, as saying.
"We need more funding because our foundation is relatively weak and we need to improve the living standards of our soldiers," Zhang said. |
