China’s air force is showing the L15 Falcon trainer at the Zhuhai Air Show in 2022. The country has a deal to export the aircraft to the United Arab Emirates.
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BEIJING – China will increase its defense spending this year by 7.2% to 1.56 trillion yuan ($230 billion), according to a draft released Sunday by the Ministry of Finance.
China’s defense budget rose 7.1% last year to 1.45 trillion yuan, faster than a 6.8% increase in 2021 and a 6.6% increase in 2020, according to official data.
In 2019, China’s defense spending increased by 7.5% to 1.19 trillion yuan.
In a separate report Sunday on government work, Premier Li Keqiang did not mention the Russia-Ukraine war. “We must remain committed to our foreign policy of peace,” the report said.
The work report called for “resolute measures against ‘Taiwan independence'” while sticking to Beijing’s demand for “peaceful reunification.”
Taiwan is a democratically controlled island that Beijing claims as part of its territory.
