FILE - In this Tuesday, March 31, 2009 file photo, soldiers from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) 6th Armored Division carries the Chinese type 97 semi-auto machine guns march at their military base on the outskirts of Beijing. China’s boosted defense spending this year grew 12.2 percent to $132 billion, continuing more than two decades of nearly unbroken double-digit percentage increases that have afforded Beijing the means to potentially alter the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific. Outside observers put China’s actual defense spending significantly higher, although estimates vary widely. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)