BEIJING, March 6: China on Saturday boosted its 2004 military spending by 11.6 per cent over last year as it stepped up efforts to modernize and outfit its military with high-tech weaponry.

"Expenditures for national defence will rise by 21.83 billion yuan (2.63 billion dollars), 11.6 per cent more than last year in order to improve the defensive combat readiness of the armed forces under high-tech conditions," Finance Minister Jin Renqing told a session of the National People's Congress.

The increase marked a return to double-digit growth in defence spending after an annual increase last year of 9.6 per cent.

It was not immediately clear if the increase would be on top of what was actually spent on defence in 2003, or on the 2003 budgeted figure of 185.3 billion yuan (22.37 billion dollars).

China's stated defence spending grew by 17.6 per cent in 2002 and 17.7 per cent in 2001.

At the opening of the congress on Friday, Premier Wen Jiabao also urged more money for the People's Liberation Army, citing a "complex and profound" international situation characterized by a return of "unilateralism."

"Stepping up efforts to modernize our national defence and armed forces is an important guarantee for safeguarding national security and building a moderately prosperous society in all respects," Wen said in his annual address to the nation.

"The tendency for unilateralism is re-emerging, local conflicts continue, international terrorist activity is rampant..., and traditional and non-traditional security issues intertwined," he said.-AFP