China Ramping Up Their Military Budget Signals a New Era of Global Power Plays – RedState– redstate.com

China Ramping Up Their Military Budget Signals a New Era of Global Power Plays – RedState– redstate.com
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While we’re still all enjoying the triumphant tone of President Trump’s Tuesday night speech to Congress and enjoying the Democrats’ discomfiture and their ongoing meltdowns, we should caution the Trump administration not to take their eyes off a couple of other balls. A primary concern remains China. President Trump, however, only mentioned China, America’s primary geopolitical rival, in the context of tariffs and trade. But the People’s Republic has ambitions. Those ambitions run counter to ours, and they aren’t all about trade.

On Wednesday, only hours after President Trump’s triumphant speech, China announced a major increase in their “defense” spending.

China said Wednesday it will increase its defense budget 7.2% this year, as it continues its campaign to build a larger, more modern military to assert its territorial claims and challenge the U.S. defense lead in Asia.

China’s military spending remains the second largest behind the U.S. and it already has the world’s largest navy.

The budget, which adds up to about $245 billion, was announced at the National People’s Congress, the annual meeting of China’s legislature. The Pentagon and many experts say China’s total spending on defense may be 40% higher or more because of items included under other budgets.

The boost is the same percentage as last year, far below the double-digit percentage increases of previous years and reflecting an overall slowdown in the economy. The nation’s leaders have set a target of around 5% growth for this year.