China PLA plays down U.S. challenge ahead of defence budget

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Source: Reuters

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's growing military has no intention of challenging the United States, a senior People's Liberation Army officer said, before the likely unveiling of the country's annual defense budget on Thursday.

PLA Senior Colonel Luo Yan was responding to a new book by a fellow PLA officer, who argues China should aim to displace the United States militarily, the official China Daily reported.

At a news conference on Thursday ahead of the convening of the annual session of China's national parliament on Friday, a parliament spokesman is likely to follow past practice and announce the country's defense budget for the year.

Some PLA officers, including Luo, have called for a rise in military spending that will send a defiant signal to the United States after Washington went ahead with plans to sell $6.4 billion of arms to Taiwan, the self-ruled island that Beijing says is its territory.



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