Advertisement
China rejects talk of ‘hidden military spending’ as ‘baseless fantasy’, with defence budget set to mark biggest rise in 3 years
- Critics say China’s defence expenditure lacks transparency and have called out ‘hidden spending’
- China’s defence spending still lags far behind that of the US, and budget hikes befit its role as a major power, ministry spokesman says
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
30
The Chinese defence ministry has rejected speculation over any “hidden military spending”, emphasising that China’s defence budget still lags far behind that of the United States.
The comments from ministry spokesman Wu Qian came after Beijing revealed a 7.1 per cent rise in defence spending this year – the fastest pace of growth since 2019.
The increase would take the military budget to 1.45 trillion yuan (US$230 billion), up from a 6.8 per cent increase in 2021 and a 6.6 per cent rise in 2020.
Defence spending grew by 7.5 per cent in 2019, to 1.19 trillion yuan.
This comes amid China’s sustained drive to modernise its military amid intensifying rivalry with the West, the United States in particular.
01:56
Mighty Dragon: China’s upgraded J-20 stealth fighter
Mighty Dragon: China’s upgraded J-20 stealth fighter
The efforts have seen the country launch two aircraft carriers in the past 10 years with a third one under construction. China also started developing sixth-generation fighter jets in 2021.
Advertisement