China has increased its defense spending by 7.2% for the 2025 fiscal year, aiming to “firmly safeguard” its national security. The move is part of a larger trend among Western governments to boost military spending in response to global security concerns.
The proposed defense budget of 1.78 trillion yuan ($244.99 billion) represents a significant increase, surpassing China’s economic growth target for the year of around 5%. This comes as the US has paused military aid to Ukraine amid Russia’s full-scale invasion.
China’s decision is not surprising, given its ongoing rivalry with the US and other Western nations. However, the country’s defense spending still trails behind the US, which has set a military budget of $850 billion for 2025.
In contrast, China has maintained its defense expenditure as a share of GDP at around 1.5% for many years, lower than the global average. Nevertheless, the increase in this year’s public security expenditures by 7.3% suggests that Beijing is committed to bolstering its military capabilities.
The European Union has also taken steps to boost its military spending, with plans to mobilize up to €800 billion ($841 billion) to support Ukraine. The trend towards increased military spending reflects the growing concerns about global security and the need for countries to strengthen their defenses.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/05/china-to-raise-defense-spending-by-7point2percent-in-2025.html