全国人大会议发言人傅莹解答我国今年的军费开支

China will increase military expenditure by about 7 to 8 percent this year, according to Fu Ying, spokeswoman for the fourth session of the 12th National People's Congress. No wonder it has drawn worldwide attention as usual despite it will be a slower growth than that in the past years.

第十二届全国人大第四次会议发言人傅莹近日表示，今年中国的军费支出将维持7%~8%的增长。这一增长速度虽然与前几年相比有所放缓，但也仍像以往一样引起了国际的极大关注。

In recent years, foreign critics have been most concerned about the modernization of China's military, which is basically supported and guaranteed by the increase in its defense budget. But what these critics don't understand is that China's growing military capacity will not pose a threat to regional peace and security.

近些年来，国外的专家们最关心的就是中国军队的现代化建设。而为了提供有力支持和保障，中国的国防预算一直呈增长趋势。但是这些专家一直不理解的是，中国军事实力的增强不会对地区的和平和安全构成威胁。

First, the increase in China's defense budget is justified, especially because its military's modernization has always been at an appropriate level.

首先，中国国防预算的增长是合理的，这主要由于中国军队的现代化进程一直处于适度的水平。

China needs its armed forces to protect its peaceful development. This is important for maintaining peace and managing crises. China has to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests, and to deal with both traditional and non-traditional security threats. Given these facts, China has every reason to develop its military's capabilities.

中国需要军队来保证自身的和平发展，同时军队对于保卫和平和处理危机也十分重要。中国必须要捍卫国家主权、安全和自身发展利益，同时也要应对现有以及突发的安全威胁。考虑到这些实际问题，中国有充分的理由加强自身的军事力量建设。

Militaries of all countries need to develop, for that is the global trend, and the Chinese military is no exception. Since China's military is in the semi-mechanized/mechanized stage of development, it still lags behind others in terms of capacity. And it will take a long time to become a fully modernized force.

如今各国都在加强军事实力建设，这已然成为全球趋势，中国也不例外。况且中国军队正处于半自动化向自动化的过渡期，在规模方面还落后于其它国家，所以中国军队实现完全现代化还需要很长的时间。

Second, to determine whether a country's military poses a threat to other countries, the key factor is not defense expenditure or the size and capability of its armed forces; instead, it is its defense policy and military strategy. A country with an aggressive policy could invade another country despite having a weaker military.

其次，看一个国家的军力是否对别国构成威胁，关键不在于军费开支，也不在于军队的规模和实力，而要看这个国家的国防政策和军事战略。一个奉行侵略性政策的国家即使军事实力不强也可能会侵犯别国。

Another typical misconception about China's military is that, since its missiles can strike a certain country, it is capable of destroying that country's satellites and thus poses a threat to it. But the fact is, many countries have developed long-range strategic missiles, and the United States has the greatest capability of destroying other countries' space assets, and its weapon systems can attack any country. So, is the US the greatest threat to the world?

还有一个关于中国军力的传统误区。舆论认为中国拥有的导弹规模可以打击某一国家，而且还掌握了摧毁他国卫星的军事技术，因此对有些国家构成了威胁。然而事实是，当今许多国家都具备战略远程打击能力，同时美国摧毁别国卫星系统的能力最强，其武器实力可以打击任何国家，按此逻辑，美国是不是应该成为全世界的威胁呢？

Also, let us not forget that the US has 11 aircraft carriers while China has just one, which is not fully operational. It is, therefore, clear that it is a country's defense policy that matters most whether it poses a threat to other countries. And China's national defense policy has always been defensive in nature and its military strategy is to strike only when it is struck.

另外，不要忘了美国拥有11艘航母，而中国只有1艘，而且还未完全投入使用。因此，判断一个国家是否对别国具有威胁关键是要看其国防政策。中国多年来一直奉行防御型的国防政策以及不针对任何国家的军事策略。

Third, since China has developed at an unprecedented pace because of a peaceful environment, it is committed to maintaining peace. China plans to double the average income of its people by 2020 compared with 2010 and become a mid-level developed country by 2050. All this can be achieved only in a peaceful environment — a conflict or war will disrupt the process. China has a chapter of history of being bullied, invaded and semi-colonized. As a result, it will never pursue expansionism or hegemonism.

第三，得益于和平的外部环境，中国实现了飞速的发展，所以中国一直在致力于维护和平。到2020年前，中国计划实现人均收入较2010年翻番以及在2050年前成为中等发达国家。这些目标的实现都需要和平的外部环境，哪怕一次冲突或者战争都会打乱这个进程。中国曾经有一段半殖民地化的屈辱历史，因此中国绝不会寻求扩张和霸权主义。

And fourth, with a reasonable increase in its budget, the Chinese military will develop steadily to fulfill its domestic and international obligations and responsibilities. Besides, China's military will continue to participate in UN peacekeeping missions, keep conducting escort and anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden and other seas, as required, and work with other countries to maintain world peace.

第四点，合理的军费开支增长有助于中国军队更好的履行国内及国际的义务和使命，中国军队将继续按照规定参与联合国维和、亚丁湾及其他海域护航等任务，与其他国家一道维护世界的和平。

The Chinese military is also committed to reducing risks, managing crises and controlling conflicts, so as to prevent untoward incidents that could disrupt peace and stability. With the growth in China's national strength, its military will be better prepared to shoulder more international responsibilities, provide more public security services to the international community and contribute more to world peace and common development.

中国军队也将继续加强危机处理，处理冲突以杜绝一切可能破坏和平稳定的突发事件。随着国力的不断增强，中国军队也准备肩负更多的国际使命，为国际社会提供更多公共安全服务，为世界和平和共同发展贡献更多力量。