China on Sunday unveiled a 7.2% hike in its defence budget in order to deal with “complex security challenges” in the region.
Latest Hike
In his last report to the National Party Congress (NPC), whose final session concludes on 12 March, outgoing Premier Li Keqiang proposed a 7.2% hike to take defence spending to 1.55 trillion Yuan ($225 billion), up from 1.45 trillion Yuan ($210 billion) in the previous year.
However, in dollar terms, its defence spending actually saw a decline from $230 billion last year, given the depreciation in the Chinese currency.
Li said that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) “should work to carry out military operations, boost combat preparedness, and enhance military capabilities so as to accomplish the tasks entrusted to them by the Party and the people.”
China raises its defence budget, tells its military to be ready for combat.
— Dr. Shama Mohamed (@drshamamohd) March 5, 2023
China is only getting more & more territorially aggressive. What is @narendramodi doing to counter the rising threat? He hasn't even mentioned China once, much less acknowledge the threat it poses!
Under the military’s priority areas, Li said that the armed forces must “develop new military strategic guidance, devote greater energy to training under combat conditions, and make well-coordinated efforts to strengthen military work in all directions and domains.”
He added that in the past year, the army “carried out operations in a firm and flexible way; and they effectively conducted major missions relating to border defence, maritime rights protection, counterterrorism and stability maintenance, disaster rescue and relief, COVID-19 response, peacekeeping, and merchant ship escorting.”
Security Challenges
NPC spokesperson Wang Chao told the media that this year’s increased defence expenditure was a slight rise from last year’s 7.1% increase, and was “needed for meeting complex security challenges and for China to fulfil its responsibilities as a major country.”
#UPDATE China announces an increase in its military spending while warning of "escalating" threats from abroad
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) March 5, 2023
Read more: https://t.co/oqsPqavZhD pic.twitter.com/EOxpG1zrck
India
India, a nuclear-capable neighbour with whom China faces border disputes, recently announced 594,000 crore rupees ($72.6 billion) as the defence budget for 2023-2024, which is a 13% hike from the last period’s initial estimates.
The defence budget accounts for 13.18% of the government’s total budget of 4,503,097 crore rupees ($550 billion).
Japan
Similarly, Japan, another of China’s neighbours with whom it faces several territorial disputes, announced its biggest military buildup in decades, last year.
The Japanese defence ministry accused China of intensifying its “attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force in the maritime and air domains including in the East and South China Seas.”