Reuters file

Beijing, March 5

China today announced an 8.1 per cent hike in its defence budget in 2018 to a whopping $175 billion, over three times higher than that of India, as an increasingly assertive Beijing focused on the modernisation and reach of the country’s military, amidst simmering disputes with its neighbours.The announcement of China increasing its military spending comes as President Xi Jinping, the commander-in-chief of the country’s over 2-million-strong armed forces, focuses on cementing his status as the most powerful leader since Chairman Mao Zedong.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)The 8.1 per cent increase unveiled today is higher than last year’s budget allocation, when China upped military spending by 7 per cent over the previous year.According to a budget report to be submitted to the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s parliament, the defence budget in 2018 will be 1.11 trillion yuan ($175 billion). China last year increased the defence budget to $150.5 billion. China is the second largest spender on defence after the US. The Pentagon has requested a budget of $686 billion in 2019, up $80 billion from 2017.The increase of China’s defence budget by 8.1 per cent this year is three times higher than India’s latest defence budget of about $46 billion.China will “advance all aspects of military training and war preparedness, and firmly and resolvedly safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests,” Premier Li Keqiang told the opening session of the NPC.“Faced with profound changes in the national security environment, the absolute leadership of the military by the ruling Communist Party must be observed, and the unity between the government and the military, and the people and the military must always be strong as stone, he said.The armed forces will firmly and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, Li said. — PTI

Spent 1.3% of GDP on defence in 2017

• The increased spending is seen as an indication of China’s strategic ambitions, as it continues to modernise its army — the world’s largest — and develop its infrastructure in contested areas like the East China Sea, South China Sea and its Himalayan border regions with India
• China spent about 1.02 trillion yuan ($161.87 billion) in national defence in 2017, about 1.3% of its GDP