By Sun Xiaobo

February 23, 2016

"China again has become a target of the blame game as studies suggest that the rapid rise in Chinese military spending and 'a greater assertiveness' in its territorial claims will fuel an arms race in the Asia-Pacific region, Western media said Monday, citing a few European reports.

According to new data published Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, six of the 10 biggest importers of defense equipment in the past five years were in the Asia-Pacific region. The International Institute for Strategic Studies said Monday in a new report that Asian military spending as a percentage of GDP has been driven to 1.48 percent, the highest since at least 2010. It said China accounts for 41 percent of regional military spending and China's major arms exports grew by 88 percent in 2011-15, compared to the previous five years."

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