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China’s Military Budget: Smaller Increases, but Not Smaller Ambitions

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China’s Military Budget: Smaller Increases, but Not Smaller Ambitions
Chinese troops march during a military parade in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Oct. 1, 2019. Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images
Richard A. Bitzinger
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Commentary
China announced on March 5 that it would increase its defense budget by 7.1 percent in 2022, to 1.45 trillion yuan ($230.16 billion). This is Beijing’s largest annual increase in military expenditures in three years.
Richard A. Bitzinger
Richard A. Bitzinger
Author
Richard A. Bitzinger is an independent international security analyst. He was previously a senior fellow with the Military Transformations Program at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore, and he has held jobs in the U.S. government and at various think tanks. His research focuses on security and defense issues relating to the Asia-Pacific region, including the rise of China as a military power, and military modernization and arms proliferation in the region.
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