Chinese military spokesperson answers media questions during annual legislative session

BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese military spokesperson on Saturday answered media questions during the ongoing second session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), the country's national legislature.

Wu Qian, spokesperson for the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force, responded to questions on the deliberations of lawmakers from the military, China's defense budget, and U.S. arms sales to China's Taiwan.

During discussions at the NPC session, lawmakers from the military delegation said efforts should be made to step up the effective supply of advanced combat capabilities and better modernize the national defense and the armed forces based on China's composite national strength, Wu said.

Answering a question about the defense budget, Wu said China's defense expenditure is transparent, reasonable and appropriate.

This year, China plans to spend 1.66554 trillion yuan (about 234.5 billion U.S. dollars) on national defense, up 7.2 percent from the actual figure in 2023, according to a budget report submitted to the session for deliberation.

Responding to a question about the recent U.S. arms sales to China's Taiwan region, Wu said China is willing to work with utmost sincerity and do all it can to strive for peaceful reunification.

"But we will never leave any room for separatist activities seeking 'Taiwan independence,'" he added. ■