Alexa Olesen:China Says US Spends Too Much Money on Military!

The United States is spending too much money on its military in light of its recent economic troubles, said China's top general. The chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army, Chen Bingde, told reporters he thought the US should cut back on defense spending for the sake of its taxpayers. He was speaking during a joint news conference in which he traded barbs with visiting US counterpart Admiral Mike Mullen. "I know the US is still recovering from the financial crisis," Chen said. "Under such circumstances, it is still spending a lot of money on its military and isn't that placing too much pressure on the taxpayers? If the US could reduce its military spending a bit and spend more on improving the livelihood of the American people, wouldn't that be a better scenario?" he said. The visit by Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is the first of its kind in four years. Mullen and Chen are trying to upgrade military to military ties after setbacks over the US arms sales to Taiwan, cyber-attacks traced to China and concern about Beijing's military plans. Chen made a similar trip to the US in May as part of efforts to improve often frosty relations between the militarys, especially as the economies of the countries become more codependent. The two sides announced future exchanges, according to a statement released through the official Xinhua News Agency, with the commander of one of China's seven military regions visiting the headquarters of the US Pacific Command in Hawaii later this year, followed by a return visit by the head of the Pacific Command.