Number of noncombatants in Chinese military almost halved

The Information Office of the State Council, China's Cabinet, published the white paper titled China's National Defense in the New Era, the country's 10th national defense white paper, on Wednesday. Here are the highlights.

White paper: Defense spending 'reasonable and appropriate'

China's defense spending is "reasonable and appropriate" and accounts for a relatively low percentage of the country's GDP and government expenditure compared with other major countries, the white paper said.

The ratio of China's annual defense spending to GDP fell from a peak of 5.43 percent in 1979 to 1.26 percent in 2017, it said, and the ratio of defense budget to government expenditure decreased from 17.37 percent in 1979 to 5.14 percent in 2017.

From 2012 to 2017, China's average annual defense expenditure was around 1.3 percent of GDP. The US figure was 3.5 percent, with Russia on 4.4 percent, India 2.5 percent, and the United Kingdom 2 percent.