China's defense expenditure is open and transparent, a spokesperson said Thursday.

The defense budget is examined and approved by the National People's Congress (NPC), the national legislature, each year as part of the overall national budget, Zhang Yesui, spokesperson for the fourth session of the 13th NPC, told a press conference in Beijing.

China has annually reported to the United Nations its military expenditure since 2007, including all the basic data of the previous fiscal year, Zhang added.