China will increase its defense budget 7.2% this year

Associated Press
Tuesday, March 4, 2025 10:15 p.m. | Tuesday, March 4, 2025 10:15 p.m.

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Military delegates march ahead of the opening session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Wednesday, March 5, 2025.

AP

Military delegates march ahead of the opening session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Wednesday, March 5, 2025.

AP

Military wait to attend the opening session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Wednesday, March 5, 2025.

AP

A conductor leads the military band as they perform the national anthem during the opening session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Wednesday, March 5, 2025.

TAIPEI, Taiwan — China said Wednesday it will increase its defense budget 7.2% this year.

The budget was announced at the National People’s Congress, the annual meeting of China’s legislature. The Pentagon and many experts say China’s total defense spending may be 40% higher or more because of items included under other budgets.

The increase is the same percentage as last year, far below the double-digit percentage figures of previous years and reflecting an overall slowdown in the economy. The nation’s leaders have set a target of around 5% growth for this year.

Nevertheless, China’s military spending remains the second largest behind the U.S. and it already has the world’s largest navy.

Tensions with the U.S., Taiwan, Japan and neighbors who share claims to the crucial South China Sea are seen as furthering growth in increasingly high-tech military technologies from stealth fighters to aircraft carriers and nuclear weapons.