As economy falters, China girds its defenses
Leaders want to grow the military faster than the economy


China is boosting its defense budget. It is ratcheting up its rhetoric against Taiwan. And also: It is trying to get its economy growing again. The country will boost its military spending by 7.2% this year, Reuters said, "fueling a military budget that has more than doubled under President Xi Jinping's 11 years in office." The announcement came at the National People's Congress, a "rubber-stamp parliament" that also officially adopted new language that drops any mention of "peaceful reunification" with Taiwan. All of this comes amid an entrenched economic slump: The rise in defense spending "comes in well above the government's economic growth forecast for this year," which has been targeted at 5%.
"Few things — not even a budget deficit of 3% of gross domestic product — will stand in the way of Beijing increasing defense spending," said the Financial Times. China's military budget has more than doubled under President Xi Jinping (though it still trails American defense spending) and that increase has been "matched by a growing number of regional disputes." But Xi has pledged to give his country a "world-class force" by 2027, and that means the military will "grow regardless of the economic health of China."
That health is shaky, CNN said. China's economy has been battered by a "troubled property sector, deflationary pressures, an exodus of foreign capital, a battered stock market and a record low birth rate." Hitting the 5% target, said one expert, is "ambitious but achievable."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
'Gearing up for war'
The continued military spending — along with the change of rhetoric — suggests that Beijing is "gearing up for war," said Business Insider. China hasn't always used the word "peaceful" to describe its goal of reunification with Taiwan, but it's clear the country's leaders are now intent on "taking a tougher approach" to the island. The defense budget shows that leadership "wants to grow its military to the point where it is prepared to win a war if it has no choice but to fight one," said Li Mingjiang, a defense scholar at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, to Reuters.
Other observers are playing down the increase, saying it reflects a focus on "military readiness, not imminent war," said the South China Morning Post. "The cost of high-tech equipment is rising and the increase in military spending is normal to adapt to the advancements in military equipment," said a "former equipment expert" for the People's Liberation Army. That doesn't mean war is on the horizon. "The current situations in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea are controllable and preventable," said Yue Gang, a retired PLA colonel.
"Alarms should be ringing" in Taiwan and the United States, defense analyst Ben Lewis said in The New York Times. China's military has ratcheted up provocative air and naval activity around Taiwan in recent years, raising the "risk of an accidental confrontation." Increased military spending only makes that confrontation more likely, Michael Beckley and Hal Brands said at Foreign Policy. "One reason China has become more combative is because it can."
No 'policy bazooka'
Sustaining that increased spending on the armed forces will be a lot easier, though, if the Chinese economy grows along with it. That's not a sure thing. While officials have set that "ambitious" economic growth target of 5%, they offered no "showstopping moves" to get there, The New York Times said. "Anybody who is looking for the policy bazooka is going to be disappointed," said Andrew Polk, the co-founder of Trivium China. The focus, it seems, is on actual bazookas.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
That's because Xi is giving "priority to strategic autonomy over economic growth," said The Wall Street Journal. Building the military is more important than building the economy. Why? It's all about power. "Xi clearly believes that a stringent focus on security can fend off any threats to his power stemming from China's current economic challenges," said Craig Singleton, the senior director of the China Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. The next year could determine if Xi is right.
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
King Bibi's profound changes to the Middle East
Feature Over three decades, Benjamin Netanyahu has profoundly changed both Israel and the Middle East.
-
Trump promotes an unproven Tylenol-autism link
Feature Trump gave baseless advice to pregnant women, claiming Tylenol causes autism in children
-
Trump: Demanding the prosecution of his political foes
Feature Trump orders Pam Bondi to ‘act fast’ and prosecute James Comey, Letitia James, and Adam Schiff
-
China: Xi seeks to fill America’s void
Feature Trump’s tariffs are pushing nations eastward as Xi Jinping focuses on strengthening ties with global leaders
-
Kim Jong Un’s triumph: the rise and rise of North Korea’s dictator
In the Spotlight North Korean leader has strengthened ties with Russia and China, and recently revealed his ‘respected child’ to the world
-
Graphic videos of Charlie Kirk’s death renew debate over online censorship
Talking Points Social media ‘promises unfiltered access, but without guarantees of truth and without protection from harm’
-
Trump's drug war is now a real shooting war
Talking Points The Venezuela boat strike was 'not a mere law enforcement action'
-
Did Trump just push India into China's arms?
Today's Big Question Tariffs disrupt American efforts to align with India
-
Truck drivers are questioning the Trump administration's English mandate
Talking Points Some have praised the rules, others are concerned they could lead to profiling
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official says
Speed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Can anyone save Jimmy Lai?
Today's Big Question 'Britain's shameful inaction' will mean it's partly 'responsible' if Hong Kong businessman dies in prison