China maintains defence spending increase at 7.2%

China will boost its defence spending by 7.2% this year, maintaining a steady growth rate as Beijing faces headwinds from three years of sluggish economic expansion and mounting geopolitical challenges from Taiwan to Ukraine.

The increase, announced on Wednesday in a government report due to be released in parliament, is the same as announced last year, with the total budget having more than doubled since 2013, shortly after President Xi Jinping came into power.

China remains the world's second-biggest military spender behind the U.S., whose proposed military budget for 2025 is $850 billion.


The growth rate remains well above China's economic growth target for this year of roughly 5% - which analysts say was expected and reflected Beijing's ambitions for continued military modernisation amid roiling geopolitical challenges.

It comes despite numerous corruption scandals affecting the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the past two years which have felled two former defence ministers and a Central Military Commission member.