主题：【文摘】中国将提高军费开支，致力发展高科技武器 -- 西风陶陶

China Plans to Boost Military Capability, Wen Says (Update1) Listen

March 5 (Bloomberg) -- China plans to boost military spending and develop high-technology weaponry to modernize the armed forces, Premier Wen Jiabao said.

``China will focus on developing new and high-technology weaponry and equipment, foster a new type of highly competent military personnel and promote modernization of the armed forces,'' Wen said in a report delivered at the National People's Congress, which started today in Beijing.

Military spending will rise 11.6 percent from 2003, according to an Agence France-Presse report, citing unidentified legislators. The report didn't specify if the increase pertained to what the government spent in 2003 or its budgeted figure of 185.3 billion yuan.

China increased its military budget by 9.6 percent in 2003, following a 17.6 percent rise in 2002 and a 17.7 percent increase in 2001. The military budget for 2002 was 166.2 billion yuan and 140 billion yuan in 2001.

The budget is expected to be announced tomorrow in Finance Minister Jin Renqing's report.

China plans to cut 200,000 personnel from the 2.5 million- strong People's Liberation Army by 2005, Wen said.

Central Military Commission Chairman Jiang Zemin said reducing the size of the army will allow China to focus its limited ``strategic resources'' on modernizing the military, especially on improving its information-technology abilities, according to a report by Xinhua news agency in September.