On Wednesday, China announced a 7.2-percent increase in its 2025 national defense budget, the same rate of increase as last year
According to the government’s 2025 budget report, China will allocate 1.7847 trillion yuan (245.7 billion dollars) for defense spending, a sum three times smaller than the U.S. defense budget.
China’s military budget has been consistently increasing for decades, in line with the country’s economic development.
This announcement comes amid ongoing tensions between Beijing and Washington, and at a time when Europeans are considering a significant increase in defense spending to address the risks associated with the “America First” policy pursued by US President Donald Trump, which Europeans view as a threat to their security.
China asserts that it follows a “defensive” military policy aimed solely at safeguarding its sovereignty.
In related news, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said that Beijing will raise its budget deficit to four percent in 2025, a rare move as the Asian giant battles a slowing economy and growing trade frictions with the United States.
China is aiming to create 12 million new jobs in cities in the coming year, an official document seen by AFP on Wednesday showed, as young people struggle to find jobs
