Since 2023, China has continued to grow its defense spending by 7.2% annually. This year, China's defense budget is set at 1.78 trillion yuan (about $245 billion), as announced at the 14th National People's Congress.
A steady rise in the defense budget is key to Xi Jinping's goal of significantly strengthening China's armed forces by 2027. This date coincides with the 100th anniversary of the founding of China’s People's Liberation Army.
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It is worth noting that China is currently the world's second-largest defense spender. However, it is far behind the United States, which had to spend $968 billion on defense in 2024. The third place goes to the russian federation, which, according to IISS, spent about $146 billion.
The fact is that the United States spends about 3.5% of GDP on defense, while China, according to various estimates, spends 1.5-1.7%. In other words, Beijing is able to maintain substantial defense spending without overburdening its economy, with a reserve for future increases.
Moreover, there is always the question of how defense spending aligns with specific targets. In particular, the question is how much of the budget is allocated to salaries and how much goes towards purchasing weapons, conducting exercises, etc. China is demonstrating a truly large-scale modernization of its armed forces in all areas, from armored vehicles and aircraft to the navy and the expansion of nuclear weapons.
It is worth noting that China’s armed forces consist of 2 million personnel, with approximately 1 million in the ground forces. At the same time, China has carefully studied the experience of the war between Ukraine and russia at the strategic level.
Earlier Defense Express reported that China was developing a secret revolutionary submarine or the world's largest underwater combat drone.
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