Intrigue in Singapore as ex-minister prepares for rare corruption trial
Trump says Zelenskiy wants Democrats to win US elections
Asia stocks hit 2-1/2-year high on China's stimulus measures
A court in Argentina orders the arrest of Venezuela's president and his right-hand man
Investors react to China's broad rate cuts
Miner backed by Canada province vows to compete with China in rare earths
Josh Allen throws 4 TD passes and the Bills roll to a 47-10 win over the unraveling Jaguars
Philadelphia Phillies clinch 1st NL East title since 2011
Outfielder Charlie Blackmon will retire at the end of year after spending 14 seasons with Rockies
BEIJING (AP) — China on Tuesday announced a 7.2% increase in its defense budget, which is already the world’s second-highest behind the United States at 1.6 trillion yuan ($222 billion), roughly mirroring the rise of the last year.
Tensions with the U.S., Taiwan, Japan and neighbors who share claims to the crucial South China Sea are seen as furthering growth in increasingly high-tech military technologies from stealth fighters to aircraft carriers and a growing arsenal of nuclear weapons.
The official budget figure announced Tuesday at the opening session of the rubber-stamp legislature's annual meeting is considered by many foreign experts to be only a fraction of spending by the People’s Liberation Army, the military wing of the ruling Communist Party, once spending on research and development and foreign weapons purchases are considered.
