China Boosts Defence Spending 7% in Drive to Modernise by 2035

Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivers a work report during the opening session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, March 5, 2026. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Pool
Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivers a work report during the opening session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, March 5, 2026. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Pool

China will boost defence spending by 7% in 2026, it said on Thursday, the lowest rate in five years but still outpacing wider economic growth targets and the rest of Asia at a time of growing regional tension, including over Taiwan.

Security analysts and regional military attaches are watching China’s budget closely as it scrambles to modernise the military by 2035, while stepping up deployments across East Asia and purging the top brass to tackle graft.

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by Reuters

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