SINGAPORE, June 2 � India today expressed concern about the hike in Chinese military spending, but said it does not perceive Beijing as a threat, reports PTI.
�China has increased their military capabilities and spending more on defence,� Defence Minister A K Antony said at a Security Forum here.
�We are concerned over it,� he said.
The Defence Minister said �even though we don�t believe in an arms race, but in our own way, to protect our national interest, we are also strengthening our capabilities on our borders.�
Saying New Delhi favoured stable relations with its neighbour, Antony said the two countries had begun military- to-military cooperation.
�We had contacts at the army level, but of late, we have started extending them to he navies of the two nations,� Antony said at the conference where the developments in the South China Sea were in sharp focus.
Like India, Japan also expressed concern over lack of transparency in China�s massive defence spending, saying this secrecy posed a threat.
