China cuts back on military spending.
Austin Ramzey reports for Time that China has dialed back its defense outlays and seeks to explain why:
Amid those economic demands, another double-digit increase in military spending might be seen as excessive. But perhaps the most compelling reason for the slowdown in spending is that Chinese officials have become more cautious of the way the development of the People's Liberation Army is perceived abroad. Last year China marked the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic with an Oct. 1 military parade in front of Tiananmen Square. While generally a cause for celebration in China, the parade of soldiers, tanks and missile carriers was seen as intimidating by many foreign observers.
There has definitely been an uptick in commentary surrounding China's military rise and some nervous reaction, particularly from India, about the potential for a more militarily assertive China. Nevertheless, the fact that China is sensitive to this tells us one of two things: either they're cleverly pulling the wool over our collective eyes until they're fully capable of seizing a hegemonic role for themselves or China is genuinely not interested in a Cold War-style stand off with the U.S. Which is it?
(AP Photo)
