China to increase military transparency

China will increase its military's transparency by reporting data to the United Nations, AP reported. Beijing will provide the UN secretary-general with "basic data" on its military expenditures in the latest fiscal year, according a Foreign Ministry spokesperson. China has not given data to the UN Register of Conventional Arms since 1996, after an unnamed country reported details of arms sales to Taiwan. That country has now stopped reporting information on Taiwan, so China can resume participation in the UN register, the spokesperson said. China does not want Taiwan to be represented in the UN and most other international organizations. Beijing said its spending on the army grew 17.8% this year to US$44.94 billion, the largest yearly rise in more than 10 years. The People's Liberation Army is the world's largest standing army, with 2.3 million members.