China’s bigger diplomatic budget underlines global push, unlike Trump’s ‘America first’

Name: ‘Two sessions’ 2025: key takeaways from Chinese premier’s work report to top legislature
Uploaded: 2025-03-05T12:42:00.000Z
Duration: 3 min 53 s
Description: ‘Two sessions’ 2025: key takeaways from Chinese premier’s work report to top legislature

Foreign policy budget proposal at ‘two sessions’ seen to signal China’s deep commitment to global ties even as it focuses on its economy

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Delegates leave after the opening session of the National People’s Congress, in Beijing on Wednesday. The finance ministry has proposed an 8.4 per cent increase in the foreign policy budget. Photo: AFP

Dewey Simin Beijing

Published: 8:42pm, 5 Mar 2025Updated: 9:08pm, 5 Mar 2025

China’s growing foreign policy budget signals a proactive approach to deepening ties with the Global South and expanding its Belt and Road Initiative, at a time when the US is taking an isolationist turn under “America first”, according to observers.

The Chinese Ministry of Finance on Wednesday proposed that the “diplomatic endeavours” budget for 2025 be raised by 8.4 per cent to over 64.5 billion yuan (US$8.87 billion), up from the 6.6 per cent increase last year. The growth in the military budget, meanwhile, was set at 7.2 per cent, the same as in 2024 and 2023.

The proposed budget was submitted to China’s top legislature as Premier Li Qiang delivered the government’s annual work report to top lawmakers at the “two sessions”, the country’s biggest legislative and political advisory gathering of the year.

Beijing had made “new advances in conducting major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics”, Li said as the annual session of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, opened on Wednesday.

In particular, he noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top officials had visited many countries over the past year and attended key events including the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and Group of 20 summits. Trade and investments under the belt and road had also steadily expanded, he added.

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‘Two sessions’ 2025: key takeaways from Chinese premier’s work report to top legislature

“We consolidated and expanded partnerships across the globe, stayed committed to true multilateralism, and played a positive and constructive role in addressing global challenges and resolving regional and international hotspot issues,” Li said.