China's defense expenditure as a percentage of GDP lower than the world average: NPC spokesperson

(ECNS) -- China's defense expenditure as a percentage of GDP is lower than the world average, said Lou Qinjian, spokesperson for the third session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), at a press conference held in Beijing on Tuesday.

Lou said since 2016, China's annual defense spending has maintained single-digit growth for nine years in a row.

China's defense expenditure as a share of GDP has been kept under 1.5 percent for many years, he added.