TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — In a surprise move, China declared on Wednesday its intention to boost its defense budget by 7.2% this year. This decision comes as part of China’s ongoing efforts to enhance its military capabilities and assert its territorial claims, challenging the dominance of the U.S. in the realm of Asian defense. The announcement of this budget increase, totaling around $245 billion, was made during the National People’s Congress, China’s yearly legislative gathering. It is worth noting that according to the Pentagon and numerous experts, the actual defense spending of China could be significantly more, possibly exceeding 40%, due to certain expenditures that are allocated under different budget categories.
This 7.2% increment mirrors the growth rate seen in the previous year, marking a departure from the double-digit percentage increases observed in earlier times and reflecting a general deceleration in the country’s economic pace. The leadership of China has set a growth target of approximately 5% for the current year. Nonetheless, China remains the world’s second-largest spender on military endeavors, trailing only behind the U.S., and boasts the largest navy globally.
Heightened tensions with the U.S., Taiwan, Japan, and neighboring countries with overlapping claims in the strategic South China Sea are seen as driving forces behind the advancement of sophisticated military technologies, such as stealth aircraft, aircraft carriers, and nuclear armaments. The People’s Liberation Army, the military arm of the ruling Communist Party, has established military installations on artificial islands in the South China Sea, with a primary focus on solidifying Chinese authority over Taiwan. Taiwan, a self-ruling democratic state which Beijing asserts as part of its territory, maintains close relations with the U.S.
On Wednesday, China dispatched a relatively small squadron consisting of five aircraft and seven vessels near Taiwanese territory, shortly after having deployed numerous aircraft in the region. These maneuvers are intended to undermine and exhaust Taiwan’s defenses, which have been reinforced with upgraded U.S. F-16 fighter jets, tanks, missiles, and domestically produced weaponry. Addressing the assembly at the Congress, Premier Li Qiang conveyed to the nearly 3,000 party loyalists that China continues to advocate for a peaceful resolution to the Taiwan matter. However, he unequivocally opposed the separatist movements seeking Taiwan’s formal independence and their foreign backers.
