If approved, the allocation for national defense will reach roughly 1.9 trillion yuan (about $275 billion), News.Az reports, citing Xinhua.
The projected increase would mark the 11th consecutive year that China’s defense spending has recorded single-digit growth. The annual rise had remained at 7.2 percent in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Chinese authorities say the country’s military expenditure remains relatively modest when measured by several key indicators, including its share of gross domestic product (GDP), per capita defense spending, and defense spending per service member. Beijing has consistently kept its defense budget below 1.5 percent of GDP for many years.
By comparison, estimates from North Atlantic Treaty Organization show that nearly all of its members reached the alliance’s target of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense in 2025, with plans to increase that level to 5 percent by 2035.
Meanwhile, neighboring Japan has increased its defense budget for 13 consecutive years, with spending rising by about 60 percent over the past five years. In fiscal year 2025, Japan’s defense spending per capita and per military personnel were about three times and more than twice those of China, respectively.
Observers note that global military expenditures are expected to continue rising this year amid growing geopolitical tensions, with Western countries accounting for much of the increase.
Chinese officials maintain that adjusting defense spending to meet national security needs is a sovereign right. They say the country will continue maintaining steady and moderate growth in military spending to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests.
China also emphasizes that it follows a defensive national defense policy. The country states that “peaceful development” is enshrined in both its constitution and the charter of the ruling party.
Beijing also highlights its role in international peacekeeping, noting that it is the second-largest contributor to United Nations peacekeeping budgets and the leading troop contributor among the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Chinese officials have repeatedly said that, regardless of its level of development, China will not pursue hegemony or expansionism.
