article_snippet: Hong Kong (CNN)China says China military budget will increase by 10.1% in 2015, the latest in a series of double-digit increases that will narrow the still-significant gap with the United States on defense spending.
article_snippet: According to a budget report released at the start of China's National People's Congress - the annual meeting of China's rubber stamp parliament -- defense spending will total 887 billion yuan ($144.2 billion) this year.
article_snippet: Building a solid national defense and strong armed forces is fundamental to safeguarding China's sovereignty," Premier Li Keqiang told thousands of delegates gathered in the cavernous Great Hall of the People in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
article_snippet: The increase underscores China's intention to prioritize military spending even as economic growth slows.
article_snippet: The increase also comes amid unease among China's neighbors about the pursuit of China territorial claims in the South China Sea and East China Sea.
article_snippet: Analysts say that China's spending on defense is notoriously opaque and the budget includes paramilitary forces such as the People's Armed Police as well as the People's Liberation Army, Navy and Air Force.
article_snippet: China's expanding strategic reach and extensive modernization requirements will continue to require significant investment over the next decade," Burton said.
article_snippet: China's defense budget is still dwarfed by what the U.S. spends on the U.S. military -- $598 billion, according to 2014 figures provided by IHS.
article_snippet: But, while China's defense budget has increased by double digits every year since 2010, U.S. spending has declined since then.
article_snippet: China's defense budget grew by 12.7% in 2011, 11.2% in 2012, and 10.7% in 2013, according to China's state news agency Xinhua.
article_snippet: Alexander Neill, a senior fellow at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in Singapore says China is likely to prioritize spending on China naval power -- China force has traditionally been focused on winning land battles.
article_snippet: A growing chunk of budget is going toward China's navy, particularly China submarine force and China seaborne nuclear deterrent," Alexander Neill, a senior fellow at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in Singapore said.
article_snippet: China's first aircraft carrier went into service in 2012 and a second is thought to be under construction.
highlights_snippet: China says China military spending will increase by 10.1% in 2015 .
  
highlights_snippet: China prioritizing military spending even as economic growth slows .
  
highlights_snippet: Spending likely to focus on China's naval force .