China: "Stop Looking in Our Underwear!"

Definitely the 'quote of the day' award goes to Qin Gang, a spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry, who bizarrely stated that U.S. demands for greater transparency in Chinese military spending are, well, somehow bordering on the pornographic:

According to the Washington Post, the spokesman, in response to recent remarks by Vice President Dick Cheney, said:

"If someone always tears through your clothes and even wants to lift open your underwear, saying 'Let me see what's inside', how would you feel? Would you want to call the police?" Qin told reporters when asked about Cheney's remarks.

The difference between China's stated defense spending and actual defense spending has long been debated (and disputed) as the Post articles goes on to note:

China's defense spending has risen steadily in recent years and, when parliament convenes next week, it is expected to approve another rise in the military budget.

Last year, the National People's Congress announced a 14.7 percent rise in the defense budget over the previous year, to 284 billion yuan ($36.6 billion). Foreign analysts say China's true defense expenditure may be up to three times that, and Washington has urged Beijing to be more forthright about its military budget and intentions.

Hmmm... Peeks inside underwear, demands for true intentions: that reminds me of a story, from the early days of high school, when I...

Ah, skip it.

-- Sharon Weinberger