Take it for what it is, a starting point for debate, nothing more, nothing less.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-09/04/content_9771257.htm

China submits 2007 military expenditure report to UN
www.chinaview.cn 2008-09-04 17:57:49 Print

BEIJING, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- China has reported its 2007 military expenditures to the United Nations (UN), the second time it has done so since it started participating in the UN Military Budget Transparency Mechanism last year.

The report provides more information than the previous submission, including basic data of the country's military spend for the latest fiscal year. It also explained the main purpose of the expenditures, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said here at a regular news briefing.

This demonstrated again that the Chinese government attached great importance to the issue of military transparency, and actively improved mutual trust with other countries in the military field, she added.

Since last year, China has participated in the UN Military Budget Transparency Mechanism and returned to the Conventional Weapons Registration System, two major mechanism of the UN concerning military transparency.

The UN Military Budget Transparency Mechanism came into being in 1980 when the UN General Assembly approved resolution 35/142 entitled "Reduction of Military Budgets." It introduced the UN system for standardized reporting of military expenditure.

Currently, more than 110 nations have joined the system.