China announces a 12.7 percent increase in its annual defense budget, reaches to a new high of $91.5 billion; China’s defense spending is now second only to the United States; Tension in the Korean Peninsula
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    • China has announced a 12.7 percent increase in its annual defense budget to a new high of $91.5 billion, up from $78.6 billion in 2010. China defense spending is now second only to the USA, although, Beijing's strategic goals simply do not necessitate the military resources that Washington requires to support its campaign in Afghanistan and Iraq and maintain a global presence. China however, claims that part of the reason for its increasing military budget is to improve living standards for “grass-root units.”1

    According to reports, North Korea has been trying since March 4 to jam mobile phones in the Seoul area, as well as GPS tracking devices used by South Korean troops, amid high tension over the ongoing joint command post/field training exercises by South Korean and U.S. forces. Relation between the two Koreas has deteriorated since the deadly sinking of South Korea's Cheonan warship last year. It is alleged that the General Bureau of Surveillance of the North Korean People's Army which was blamed for last year’s sinking of South Korean warship, is also behind the latest attempt to block South Korean communication devices. 2

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