China must enhance the ability of its military to win "local wars", Premier Wen Jiabao said Monday, as Beijing grows increasingly assertive about its territorial claims in Asia.
Beijing lays claim to large swathes of the South China Sea which are also claimed by its smaller neighbours, and must also secure supply routes and new sources of raw materials to fuel its booming economy.
Wen's made his comments at the opening of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's parliament, a day after the government announced military spending would top $100 billion in 2012 -- an 11.2 percent increase on last year.
"We will enhance the armed forces' capacity to accomplish a wide range of military tasks, the most important of which is to win local wars under information age conditions," Wen said in his "state of the nation" speech.
China's territorial disputes with countries including Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Vietnam have grown rockier in recent years and its neighbours have accused it of behaving aggressively.
The Asian giant already has the world's largest armed forces and its defence budget has seen double-digit increases every year for much of the last decade, which is forging ahead with plans to expand its own military power in Asia.
