China says US spends too much money on military

[Ichingcarpenter]

Source: aP

BEIJING (AP) -- The United States is spending too much on its military in light of its recent economic troubles, China's top general said Monday while playing down his country's own military capabilities.

The chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army, Chen Bingde, told reporters he thought the U.S. should cut back on defense spending for the sake of its taxpayers. He was speaking during a joint news conference in which he traded barbs with visiting U.S. counterpart Adm. Mike Mullen.

"I know the U.S. is still recovering from the financial crisis," Chen said. "Under such circumstances, it is still spending a lot of money on its military and isn't that placing too much pressure on the taxpayers?

"If the U.S. could reduce its military spending a bit and spend more on improving the livelihood of the American people ... wouldn't that be a better scenario?" he said.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CHINA_US?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-07-11-07-48-40

[Darth_Kitten]

1. Pot, meet Kettle.

:(

[plumbob]

11. No, not really. US spends about 6 times what China spends.

2010 - #1 in the world, USA, $698 billion (not counting accounting tricks to hide the cost of the wars); #2 in the world, China, $119 billion.

Per cent of GDP: US - 4.7%, China - 2.2%

http://www.rickety.us/2011/06/2010-defense-spending-by-country/

[Angleae]

46. But you can get a whole lot more in China for the same money.

You can't even fund the US military personnel budget with what China's budget, and they have more people.

[cstanleytech]

20. plumbob has a good point

Our country does actually spend far to much or I should say waste as I suspect our government is paying more than it should for alot of materials for the military not to mention paying for things we just dont need and is a waste of taxpayer money.

[DeSwiss]

36. Not even close.

- K&R

[Darth_Kitten]

42. China talking about how the U.S. should improve the lives of it's citizens?

Who are they to say anything?

Pot, meet Kettle.

[DeSwiss]

43. Point taken and agreed, however.....

...the OP is about and it is entitled: "China says US spends too much money on military". Which is true. We spend way too much on the military. And we need to shut down all the bases we have in foreign lands, not to mention quite a few here at home. And it'll solve that pesky budget deficit problem as well.

[Darth_Kitten]

44. Of course.

:hi:

[classysassy]

47. Maybe we could use some good advice

Use more money for education and less for the military.Maybe an educated citizenry would keep us out of all tyhose damn,dumb wars and that would indeed be good for the health of our citizens.

[ClarkUSA]

2. lol! It just so happens that Russia's top general thinks the same thing.

[Ichingcarpenter]

4. So you are saying we don't spend enough ?

You do know the facts on the US military budget as compared to the world?

[plumbob]

13. Not really. US spends 12 times as much as the Russians.

2010 - #1 in the world, USA, $698 billion (not counting accounting tricks to hide the cost of the wars); #5 in the world, Russia, $58 billion.

Per cent of GDP: US - 4.7%, Russia - 4.3%

http://www.rickety.us/2011/06/2010-defense-spending-by-country/

[smiley33]

17. The US is roughly 55% of the area of Russia

So Russia would spend a greater percentage of GDP to protect itself. But the US has much of its military assets in other countries.

[plumbob]

18. Why do we have military assets in other countries?

And who is Russia protecting itself from?

[cstanleytech]

23. Right now? A little bit from most of the US and some of its neighbors but

its biggest worry isnt the west but rather China.

[HereSince1628]

3. In other words, "Wouldn't less military spending shore up your T-bills?"

Someone had to say it, and the Chinese probably have the most to lose.

[DeSwiss]

37. No. It is "we" who have the most to lose. n/t

[Schema Thing]

5. It's sad because he knows the psychology of saying that

will if anything result in Americans (and especially Americans in Congress) being *more* willing to spend on military.


He probably had a "this is too easy" grin on his face when he said it.

[Joe Bacon]

6. He knows America is finished.

We're going down the same path every empire has. Overstreching military commitment, selfishness running wild on the domestic scene and the rich are grabbing all they can get. Recipe for collapse.

Right now the Chinese Politburo laughs at us, just like everyone else. We're the joke of the world.

[AtheistCrusader]

28. The hell they are laughing.

If we go down economically, so do they. We have been irresponsible with loans they made to us in good faith. Inexcusable.

[liberal N proud]

7. That is like your banker telling you that you have spent too much on your boat

If you were rich enough to own a boat.

[raccoon]

8. They said that right. nt

[Yon_Yonson]

9. No shite ... no truer words are spoken.

This is definitely change I can believe in:

“It is important to remember that every defense dollar spent to over-insure against a remote or diminishing risk … is a dollar not available to take care of our people, reset the force, win the wars we are in, and improve capabilities in areas where we are underinvested and potentially vulnerable. That is a risk I will not take.”
– Defense Secretary Robert Gates

[No Elephants]

33. And Gates was able to keep a straight face while he said that, was he?

[Yon_Yonson]

35. He sure did

Most likely he misspoke and then again maybe that's the way he really feels. I doubt it thought!

[LeftinOH]

10. That fact is painfully obvious to everyone by now; it'd be nice if someone in our own government

would have the guts to admit it.

[davidpdx]

12. I wouldn't advocating cutting spending on military as much as wisely spending

The Chinese are hobnobbing with a lot of the smaller countries and poorer countries: Brazil, South Africa, Sudan to try to get their hands on resources. I have no doubt China will over take us at some point at the largest economy, but you know what they say about being the largest person, it's the easiest to knock them down.

I don't think we are completely screwed. If we deal with the debt problem and have a few good years things could change around.

Also the Chinese have their noises stuck up their ass as they brutally beat dissidents and send back North Korean refugees to their country to be put in prison camps and die. If China is such a good country, they wouldn't be killing and torturing people. The Chinese are as about as evil as they come.

[plumbob]

14. You do know about Gitmo and rendition flights? 3 wars we're in?

Just checking on your statement, "If X is such a good country, they wouldn't be killing and torturing people."

I agree. I just want to make sure you know that you're talking about us on a much grander scale than the Chinese.

[cstanleytech]

22. Two wars

I know your trying to count libya but right now it just doesnt count as war, that is unless we suddenly sent a major amount of troops on the ground there as last I read we only were providing support along with nato on enforcing a no fly zone as well as training and intel or the resistance there.

[JackRiddler]

25. Six, but what's the point in explaining that to someone who thinks the war on Libya...

isn't a war?

NATO has flown tens of thousands of bombing sorties. The US has provided the majority of the resources involved.

[plumbob]

26. We're spending money in Libya, right? It counts as money spent.

See? These are the kind of accounting tricks used to hide military spending.

[cstanleytech]

40. I'm just clarifing your usage of claiming its a "war"

as for accounting thats another issue alltogether.

[Psephos]

39. You're stuck in the * era. Obama abolished rendition and Gitmo, as promised.

And he's mopping up the last dregs of the * Libya fiasco, standing firm against Patriot Act renewals, and eradicating the practice of assassination by drone.

Right?

Right?

[Moostache]

27. What "debt problem" do you refer to?

The one that was caused by fighting 2 wars (and now adding a 3rd aerial bombardment campaign a la Kosovo)and NOT raising taxes to balance out the missing revenues?

Or the one that was caused by adding an unfunded mandate for prescription drugs to Medicare without bargaining for the lowest prices or funding the measure in any way through either reduced payouts OR increased revenues?

Or the one that was caused by allowing the total deregulation of the banking industry and necessitated by their casino capitalism and steady stream of "snake-eyes" rolls in 2007-2008?

Or the trumped up fake one that is on Fox News and every Republican lying mouth in the nation that claims none of the above matter and ONLY Obama's stimulus - less than 8% of ALL the deficit - is the root cause?

Sadly, when you just say "debt problem" it reads more like the last item than any of the other true causes....

[Yon_Yonson]

30. Wise military spending is an oxymoron

How much wise spending on the military do we need before we realize that military nation building does not work. NEVER HAS .... NEVER WILL!

[No Elephants]

34. No one said China was a good country. And if you don't think the U.S. spends too much on the MIC,

you may be the only in the U.S. who really believes that.

[ladjf]

15. Amid all of the political arguing about the debt reduction, not one

word about calling off the occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq, or closing some of our military bases around the world.


nt

[LaurenG]

16. Considering they are one of our largest lenders

they probably have a reason to say something about this. Especially in light of the debt ceiling debate.

[OwnedByFerrets]

19. DUH

[nolabels]

31. Sometimes it's hard to imagine this world we live in today

Twenty years ago many would of said the same thing also. It's like watching a movie with a combined plot of Groundhog day and Back to the Future rolled into one. Just freaking crazy :crazy:

[OwnedByFerrets]

32. That is certainly true

[grahamhgreen]

21. So does everybody else - except our representatives who are failing to represent.

[JackRiddler]

24. This is just true. It's the saddest, truest thing to say about the US. No ulterior motive necessary.

[David__77]

29. It would indeed improve the livelihood of people here is this spending were reduced.

But of course that will not happen.

[WatsonT]

38. You want us to have a big military

if for whatever reason we get in a war with China and we have a large military we will be tempted to use it.

If we didn't we'd have no choice but to use nuclear weapons.

A large military is a deterrent to the use of nukes.

/we should cut it though.

[AndyTiedye]

41. Even a Stopped Clock Tells the Right Time Twice a Day

[No Elephants]

45. And U.S. says other countries don't spend enough on their respective militaries. Circle of life.

Fun fact.

The largest air force in the world is, of course, that of the United States Air Force. (Duuh)

Who has the second largest air force in the world, though?

Why the United States Navy. I guess that's in case the U.S.N. ever wants or needs to declare war on the U.S.A.F.?

Meanwhile, Kuwait looked to us to declare war on Iraq if Iraq ever rumbles about how Kuwait misappropriated Iraqi lands, while Kuwait's government sits on a pile of money and oil and our citizens are taxed up the yin yang.

Hillary once said that we should refuse to go the aid of any nation whose military--er, "defense" budget is a smaller percentage of its GDP than is ours. Even that is not enough, IMO, because those peace lovers have had a very long time to build their wealth without being bled dry as we have been.

I'm sure we'll never stick to that, but it sounded good to me.