On March 6, 2014, a military reporter from China Broadcasting Network interviewed Chinese congressional delegate member Major General Chen Zhou. In the interview, Chen talked about the increase in China’s military budget.
Chen Zhou stated that China’s increase in defense spending is to make up for a serious past shortage. With the rapid development of our national economy, [China] has the strength to increase the investment in its military development.
Chen said that China’s security environment is changing; the surrounding environment is changing; the complexity and variability of the security problems we are facing are also increasing. We face challenges safeguarding China’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national unity. Our surroundings are very turbulent. Some military powers conduct frequent actions in our surrounding areas. Strategic pressure is constantly increasing. In particular, our maritime security issues have become increasingly prominent. We need to increase defense spending to strengthen the development of our naval and air forces.
Source: People’s Daily, March 6, 2014
http://military.people.com.cn/n/2014/0306/c1011-24544144.html