The topline figure is released annually at the Two Sessions, which comprise the NPC gathering and the meeting of the country’s top political advisory body. This year’s meetings come as China begins implementing its 15th Five-Year Plan, which will shape economic strategy through 2030.
China’s defence outlays are closely watched as a barometer of Beijing’s strategic priorities amid sustained tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, as well as intensifying Sino-US competition.
The escalating conflict in the Middle East – which is testing China’s oil security and Gulf partnerships – has further heightened global security concerns.
While Beijing maintains that its military spending is defensive in nature and remains far below that of Washington, analysts track the annual increase as a signal of the pace and direction of the People’s Liberation Army’s modernisation drive.
China has pledged to complete the modernisation of its armed forces by 2035 and build a “world-class” military by mid-century.
The drive has also unfolded alongside a sweeping anti-corruption campaign in the armed forces that has ensnared a growing number of senior commanders.
