The United States spends $450 billion a year on it's military; More than the rest of the world combined, and Donald Rumsfeld goes to China and wants 'clarification' on how much China is spending? You have to be joking!
They're arguing over whether China spends '$29 billion' or '$90 billion'. Either way, China, which has 4 times the population and is larger than the U.S. but by this news, it's spending either around 1/15th or 1/4th of what we spend on our military. And, we say we spend $450 billion but that's probably not even half of what we spend.
The $450 billion we spend doesn't include 'homeland security', the CIA, the FBI, the NSC, and it doesn't include the 'black budget' of secret military spending AND it doesn't include the $300 billion we've spent in Iraq over the last 30 months!
Does Rumsfeld think he's talking to Iraq or Saudi Arabia or something? This administration is just stuck on arrogance and there's just no two ways about it...
China Defense Chief Dismisses U.S. Claims
BEIJING -- It would be "simply impossible" for China to increase its military spending on the vast scale claimed by Pentagon officials because China's top priority is fighting domestic poverty, the nation's defense chief said Wednesday.
At a joint news conference with visiting Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Gen. Cao Gangchuan denied that China's defense budget this year is far more than the $29 billion it has stated publicly, and he said the communist government is eager to pursue better relations with Washington.
"It is simply impossible for us to massively increase the investment in defense capabilities," Cao said through an interpreter. He defended the accuracy of China's report that its 2005 defense budget is about $29 billion, compared with the $90 billion the Pentagon claims is the true figure.
Rumsfeld, speaking to students and faculty at the Central Party School, the Communist Party's top training center, complained that China has sent "mixed signals" to the United States about its interest in improving military-to-military relations and in cooperating in the international arena.
Rumsfeld mentioned China's participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which last summer issued a statement calling on the United States to withdraw its military forces from Central Asia.
"So we see mixed signals and we seek clarification," Rumsfeld told the Central Party School audience.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
THE ARROGANCE
The United States spends $450 billion a year on it's military; More than the rest of the world combined, and Donald Rumsfeld goes to China and wants 'clarification' on how much China is spending? You have to be joking!
They're arguing over whether China spends '$29 billion' or '$90 billion'. Either way, China, which has 4 times the population and is larger than the U.S. but by this news, it's spending either around 1/15th or 1/4th of what we spend on our military. And, we say we spend $450 billion but that's probably not even half of what we spend.
The $450 billion we spend doesn't include 'homeland security', the CIA, the FBI, the NSC, and it doesn't include the 'black budget' of secret military spending AND it doesn't include the $300 billion we've spent in Iraq over the last 30 months!
Does Rumsfeld think he's talking to Iraq or Saudi Arabia or something? This administration is just stuck on arrogance and there's just no two ways about it...
China Defense Chief Dismisses U.S. Claims
BEIJING -- It would be "simply impossible" for China to increase its military spending on the vast scale claimed by Pentagon officials because China's top priority is fighting domestic poverty, the nation's defense chief said Wednesday.
At a joint news conference with visiting Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Gen. Cao Gangchuan denied that China's defense budget this year is far more than the $29 billion it has stated publicly, and he said the communist government is eager to pursue better relations with Washington.
"It is simply impossible for us to massively increase the investment in defense capabilities," Cao said through an interpreter. He defended the accuracy of China's report that its 2005 defense budget is about $29 billion, compared with the $90 billion the Pentagon claims is the true figure.
Rumsfeld, speaking to students and faculty at the Central Party School, the Communist Party's top training center, complained that China has sent "mixed signals" to the United States about its interest in improving military-to-military relations and in cooperating in the international arena.
Rumsfeld mentioned China's participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which last summer issued a statement calling on the United States to withdraw its military forces from Central Asia.
"So we see mixed signals and we seek clarification," Rumsfeld told the Central Party School audience.
WANTED
Dead or Alive
