On May 21st, the third session of the 13th National People's Congress held a press conference in the press hall of the Great Hall of the People. A spokesperson for the conference answered questions from Chinese and foreign reporters on issues related to the agenda of the conference and the work of the NPC.

  Reporter from Fuji TV Japan: I would like to ask about China's defense budget. At the 70th anniversary parade last year, many new weapons and equipment were displayed, and the Shandong ship carrier was in service. However, the outside world has repeatedly expressed concern about the lack of transparency in China's military spending. China's defense budget has increased every year. How much will the budget reach this year? In addition, the negative impact of the epidemic on China's economy is inevitable. Will China's defense budget be reduced correspondingly compared to last year? If not, why?

  Zhang Yesui: China pursues a defensive national defense policy. Regardless of the total amount, per capita, or proportion of GDP in China's national defense expenditure, it is moderate and restrained. From a global perspective, China's defense expenditure accounted for about 1.3% of GDP for many years, which should be said to be much lower than the world average of 2.6%. If compared with the largest military spending country, the total amount of China's defense expenditure in 2019 is only a quarter of it, and per capita is only one-seventeenth of it.

  Zhang Yesui: According to the Budget Law of the People's Republic of China, the national defense budget is reviewed and approved by the National People's Congress every year. Since 2007, China has submitted military expenditure reports to the United Nations every year. It is clear where the money comes from and where it goes. There is no such thing as "hidden military expenditure".

  (Organized according to the webcast text)