Posted on 03/05/2011 12:59:12 AM PST by TigerLikesRooster
UPDATE 1 - China internal security spending jumps past army budget
Sat Mar 5, 2011 2:46am EST
* To spend $95 bln on public security, $92 bln on military
* Security spend includes police, jails, state security
* China to remain vigilant against calls for protest
By Chris Buckley
BEIJING, March 5 (Reuters) - China's spending on police and domestic surveillance will hit new heights this year, with "public security" outlays unveiled on Saturday outstripping the defence budget for the first time as Beijing cracks down on protest calls.
China's ruling Communist Party also issued its loudest warning yet against recent Internet-spread calls for "Jasmine Revolution" protest gatherings inspired by popular uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East.
The 13.8 percent jump in China's planned budget for police, state security, armed civil militia, courts and jails was unveiled at the start of the annual parliamentary session, and brought planned spending on law and order items to 624.4 billion yuan ($95.0 billion).
By contrast, China's People's Liberation Army budget is set to rise 12.7 percent to 601.1 billion yuan ($91.5 billion).
"This would be the first time that the openly announced domestic security budget has surpassed military spending", said Xie Yue, a political scientist at Tongji University in Shanghai. He called the figure a gauge of China's spending on what officials call "stability protection."
"This shows the rising costs of maintaining internal control," said Xie, who studies China's domestic security policies and spending. "This system is very sensitive to any instability or contention."
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
P!
That’s a lot of money just to keep what the Chinese government no doubt views as anarchy bottled up tight!
Right. This is a good indication of how vast their internal spying infrastructure is. Internal enemy is just as dangerous for Chinese regime as external enemy such as U.S.. Hence, their secret police outspends their military.
I liken this to a magnum of champagne vigorously shaken: how long until the cork pops, do you think?
I wonder if the Chinese leaders are looking at events in the Middle East (Libya, Egypt) and are getting nervous about an uprising in their own country.
Indeed they are nervous, and trying to preempt it as much as possible.
Not for long.
You know they have to be. I bet those news stories are vigorously censored in China.
No need to be alarmed. It’s an open secret that in China, not 100% of the budget goes to where it belongs, especially in governmental agencies and military.
No need to be alarmed. It’s an open secret that in China, not 100% of the budget goes to where it belongs, especially in governmental agencies and military.
I’ve read comments from pro-China people saying how anyone who is down on China’s future stability is alarmist, China will never breakdown into social chaos, yadda-yadda. Apparently Beijing didn’t get the memo.
I’m pro-China, but I’m of the quite opposite opinion that anything could happen.
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