The military budget of the People's Republic of China is the portion of the overall budget of China that is allocated for the funding of the military of the People's Republic of China. This military budget finances employee salaries and training costs the maintenance of equipment and facilities, support of new or ongoing operations, and development and procurement of new weapons, equipment, and vehicles. Some dispute exists about the method that China uses to account for its military spending. Some categories of spending are not included in the official military budget, and as such, international bodies often attempt to estimate the Chinese military budget in terms that are comparable with other countries. These estimates are typically higher than published Chinese figures. The Chinese government's published 2009 military budget was US $70.3 billion. This figure would mean that for 2009, China's military expenditure as a percentage of GDP would be 1.7%, with per capita expenditure of US$53. Total active duty personnel as of March 2006: 2,255,000