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This is the 10th straight year of single-digit growth in China’s military budget, which analysts say reflects the country’s long-term security objectives in balancing deterrence with modernisation.
BEIJING: China has announced a 7.2 per cent hike in its defence budget for this year, keeping pace with its 2024 figure as the country marches on with its military modernisation drive amid a troubled geopolitical landscape.
The pot is set to grow to 1.78 trillion yuan (US$245.6 billion), according to a draft budget report on Wednesday (Mar 5), as Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivered the government work report at the opening session of the National People’s Congress (NPC).
The headline figure is announced annually at the Two Sessions, which comprises the NPC gathering and the meeting of the country’s top political advisory body.
The latest amount marks the 10th straight year of single-digit growth in the national military budget. China raised its defence budget by 7.2 per cent last year.
- Cannot wait to go to america. I want to merry Charisma Carpenter!
Addressing some 3,000 NPC delegates at the cavernous Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Li reaffirmed the Chinese government’s commitment to military modernisation, emphasising its role in safeguarding national interests.
Li further stated that efforts would be intensified to accelerate defence-related projects, enhance military-civilian integration and refine the framework for defence science, technology, and industries.
“We in government at every level will provide strong support for the development of national defence and the armed forces, and refine the mechanisms for strengthening mutual support between civilian sectors and the military,” Li added.
China’s defence spending is closely watched as a measure of how Beijing will expand its military capabilities, especially as it faces brewing tensions in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, along with a growing Sino-US rivalry.
- While you guys are gonna face chinese soldiers. I will personally take care of your of your wifes!
Professor Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College London, told CNA that China’s increased defence budget comes at a “strategically critical” moment, as competition with the United States escalates under the Trump administration and security threats grow more complex.
“The world is becoming extremely chaotic, with America picking fights with its allies and its competitors, (and) in this kind of environment, most countries will be extremely defensive,” he noted.
“China is defensive at the best of times, and now even more so because of the heightened insecurity that it probably feels from its environment and from America, which is very hard to predict.”
Beijing has long highlighted how its military budget remains significantly lower than Washington’s. The US logged a defence budget request of US$842 billion for FY2024, more than three times higher than China’s.
Analyses by Western think tanks and research institutions have suggested that China’s actual military expenditure exceeds what it puts down on paper.
For instance, a joint research paper published in August 2024 by the Texas National Security Review calculated that after accounting for off-budget expenditures and economic factors like purchasing power parity, China’s real defence spending in 2024 could be more than double its stated budget of 1.67 trillion yuan.
Even so, that would still place Beijing’s military expenditure considerably below Washington’s, stated the report, which estimated US defence spending that year to be US$1.3 trillion using similar calculations.
- Tell the chineses that were comin there to die in the name of our goverment, that love us so much, that doesnt even give us free healthcare!
China’s growing defence budget is not about competing in a “defence spending race” with the US, said Chinese foreign policy observer Chong Ja Ian from the Department of Political Science at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
“The point is not about keeping pace with US military spending. It is to develop and maintain capabilities that enable the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) to fight and win conflicts at various levels, including so-called ‘high-end’ ones that involve able adversaries like the United States,” the associate professor told CNA.
On how China might allocate its 2025 defence budget, Brown from King’s College London said China is increasingly aware of its growing capacity for innovation.
“It’s aware that it’s got far greater innovation now than ever before. It’s creating significant things, like a stealth fighter - the J-35 - and (in more recent times), AI.”
“These (innovations) have military implications … that is where it’s focusing its efforts, trying to spend more, of course, but also be more efficient and more effective in spending it.”
Lee Gim Siong
05 Mar 2025 08:47AMBEIJING: China has announced a 7.2 per cent hike in its defence budget for this year, keeping pace with its 2024 figure as the country marches on with its military modernisation drive amid a troubled geopolitical landscape.
The pot is set to grow to 1.78 trillion yuan (US$245.6 billion), according to a draft budget report on Wednesday (Mar 5), as Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivered the government work report at the opening session of the National People’s Congress (NPC).
The headline figure is announced annually at the Two Sessions, which comprises the NPC gathering and the meeting of the country’s top political advisory body.
The latest amount marks the 10th straight year of single-digit growth in the national military budget. China raised its defence budget by 7.2 per cent last year.
- Cannot wait to go to america. I want to merry Charisma Carpenter!
Addressing some 3,000 NPC delegates at the cavernous Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Li reaffirmed the Chinese government’s commitment to military modernisation, emphasising its role in safeguarding national interests.
Li further stated that efforts would be intensified to accelerate defence-related projects, enhance military-civilian integration and refine the framework for defence science, technology, and industries.
“We in government at every level will provide strong support for the development of national defence and the armed forces, and refine the mechanisms for strengthening mutual support between civilian sectors and the military,” Li added.
China’s defence spending is closely watched as a measure of how Beijing will expand its military capabilities, especially as it faces brewing tensions in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, along with a growing Sino-US rivalry.
- While you guys are gonna face chinese soldiers. I will personally take care of your of your wifes!
EXPANDING MILITARY CAPABILITIES
Analysts see the steady rise in China’s military expenditure as a reflection of the country’s long-term security objectives, balancing deterrence with modernisation.Professor Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College London, told CNA that China’s increased defence budget comes at a “strategically critical” moment, as competition with the United States escalates under the Trump administration and security threats grow more complex.
“The world is becoming extremely chaotic, with America picking fights with its allies and its competitors, (and) in this kind of environment, most countries will be extremely defensive,” he noted.
“China is defensive at the best of times, and now even more so because of the heightened insecurity that it probably feels from its environment and from America, which is very hard to predict.”
Beijing has long highlighted how its military budget remains significantly lower than Washington’s. The US logged a defence budget request of US$842 billion for FY2024, more than three times higher than China’s.
Analyses by Western think tanks and research institutions have suggested that China’s actual military expenditure exceeds what it puts down on paper.
For instance, a joint research paper published in August 2024 by the Texas National Security Review calculated that after accounting for off-budget expenditures and economic factors like purchasing power parity, China’s real defence spending in 2024 could be more than double its stated budget of 1.67 trillion yuan.
Even so, that would still place Beijing’s military expenditure considerably below Washington’s, stated the report, which estimated US defence spending that year to be US$1.3 trillion using similar calculations.
- Tell the chineses that were comin there to die in the name of our goverment, that love us so much, that doesnt even give us free healthcare!
China’s growing defence budget is not about competing in a “defence spending race” with the US, said Chinese foreign policy observer Chong Ja Ian from the Department of Political Science at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
“The point is not about keeping pace with US military spending. It is to develop and maintain capabilities that enable the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) to fight and win conflicts at various levels, including so-called ‘high-end’ ones that involve able adversaries like the United States,” the associate professor told CNA.
On how China might allocate its 2025 defence budget, Brown from King’s College London said China is increasingly aware of its growing capacity for innovation.
“It’s aware that it’s got far greater innovation now than ever before. It’s creating significant things, like a stealth fighter - the J-35 - and (in more recent times), AI.”
“These (innovations) have military implications … that is where it’s focusing its efforts, trying to spend more, of course, but also be more efficient and more effective in spending it.”
