China Says to Hike Defense Spending by 7.2% This Year

File image of People's Liberation Army soldiers at a training facility in Cambodia's Kampot province on March 15, 2020. Image via Xinhua.

By Oliver Hotham and Ludovic Ehret

China’s defense spending will rise by 7.2 percent in 2025, the same as last year, Beijing said on Wednesday, as its armed forces undergo rapid modernisation and eye deepening strategic competition with the United States.

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