Soldiers from the honour guards of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) march in front of the Monument to the People's Heroes at Tiananmen Square, after the welcoming ceremony for Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, June 3, 2014. REUTERS/Petar Kujunzic
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China's military spending exceeded $145 billion (86 billion pounds) last year as it advanced a program modernizing an arsenal of drones, warships, jets, missiles and cyber weapons, the Pentagon said on Thursday, offering a far higher figure than Beijing's official tally.
The Pentagon's estimate, using 2013 prices and exchange rates, was 21 percent above the $119.5 billion figure announced by China. It was detailed in an annual report to Congress that cited steady progress in Chinese defence capabilities.
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