Beijing ( CNN ) -- China said Sunday it plans to increase its defense budget by 11.2 % , following similar increases in years past and coming on the heels of a renewed U.S. push in the region . The planned increase would lift spending to some 670 billion yuan ( $ 106.4 billion ) in 2012 , which is almost 68 billion more than 2011 spending , said Li Zhaoxing , spokesman for the National People 's Congress . By comparison , the proposed U.S. defense budget for the 2013 fiscal year is $ 613.9 billion , including $ 525.4 billion in base spending . That budget cuts half a trillion dollars in spending increases over the next 10 years . Li spoke a day before the annual session of the Chinese legislature is scheduled to start in Beijing . `` The Chinese government follows the principle of coordinating defense development with economic development . It sets the country 's defense spending according to the requirement of national defense and the level of economic development , '' he said . Last year , China announced it would increase its defense budget by close to 13 % . It reported a 7.5 % increase the year before . Li stressed that China 's defense spending will go primary toward living expenses , training , maintenance and equipment , China 's state news agency Xinhua reported . Given the country 's population , long coastline and large territory , the outlays are low , he said . `` The limited military strength of China is solely for safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity , and will not pose a threat to any country , '' the news agency reported Li as saying . Still , China 's announcement is sure to stoke concerns among some its neighbors . China regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to use force against the island if it ever formally sought independence . China also has claimed a significant portion of the South China Sea as its own territorial waters , putting it in conflict with other nations that have made claims on portions of the region . The move is similarly sure to raise eyebrows in Washington , where President Barack Obama is pursuing a more aggressive approach in the region . During last year 's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit , the president stressed the importance of the Pacific to global economic security . And this year , Obama and top defense officials unveiled a new U.S. defense strategy that focuses heavily on the Asia-Pacific region , a fast-growing economic powerhouse with numerous potential flashpoints that the administration has identified as crucial to U.S. interests . The strategy calls for the United States to increase its military 's `` institutional weight and focus on enhanced presence , power projection , and deterrence in Asia-Pacific , '' said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta . Xinhua , while welcoming a peaceful U.S. role in the region , cautioned in a commentary then against the United States acting like a `` bull in a china shop . '' CNN 's Steven Jiang contributed to this report .
The planned increase would lift spending to some 670 billion yuan ( $ 106.4 billion ) in the next five years, according to a recent report by China National Radio International. The move is sure to stoke concerns among some of China 's neighbors .