China plans to expand its defence budget by about 7 percent. Fu Ying, spokesperson for the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) annual session, said the increase is in line with China's economic development and defence needs. The new increase could be the country's slowest defence budget rise in at least a decade. Her words came as China's economic growth registered a nearly three-decade low of 6.7 percent. Premier Li Keqiang will unveil the government's 2017 GDP target on Sunday. The exact figure for this year's defence budget is also expected to be released in a budget report Sunday.