China's military spending a cause of concern for India: Antony

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Defence Minister A.K. Antony on Saturday said that India was concerned about rise in China's military spending.

China's military budget jumped 11.2 per cent year on year to 106 billion dollars in 2012.

Addressing the Asia security summit, the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Antony said: ''Even though we don't believe in an arms race, since China has increased their military capabilities and spending more on defence, in our own way, to protect our national interest, we are also strengthening our capabilities in our borders.''

He said India is also building its capabilities to protect its national interests. Antony said despite this, the two countries are working towards peace and stability not only in Asia but also around the world.

He gave the example of growing cooperation between India and China in anti-piracy and maritime security measures, and expressed optimism that the cooperation will evolve further in the coming years.

Japan also expressed their concern over what it called a lack of transparency in China's massive defence spending, saying the secrecy posed a 'threat' to Tokyo.

Commenting on the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, Antony said India does not believe in solving the ongoing problems in the region through confrontation or destabilization.

He said our effort is to develop close relations with the countries of the region as nearly six million people of Indian origin live there and nearly 80 per cent of India's energy requirements are sourced from there.