Opinion

As China builds its military muscle, it will pivot to head games

Ankit Panda writes that as the great-power competition with the US heats up, China’s defence spending is delivering a modern military

The next step will be to develop the experience and knowledge base of its military personnel

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A People's Liberation Army soldier stands guard March 8 ahead of the second plenary session of the National People's Congress outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo: EPA-EFE

Ankit Panda is an Adjunct Senior Fellow in the Defense Posture Project at the Federation of American Scientists, a Senior Editor at The Diplomat, an online magazine on Asia-Pacific affairs, and a Contributing Editor at War on the Rocks.

Published: 11:15am, 16 Mar 2019Updated: 10:36pm, 16 Mar 2019

March has marked the budget season for the United States and China alike. Earlier this month, at the National People’s Congress, Beijing announced a 7.5 percentage increase in its projected defence spending over last year. It will spend US$177.54 billion on sustaining, growing, and modernising its military. The United States, a little more than a year after acknowledging it was in an era of great-power competition again, announced a US$750 billion defence budget.

Headlines have zeroed on the relative decrease in spending growth on defence. After all, in 2018, China’s defence budget growth stood at 8.1 per cent. Percentages can be misleading, however. China’s military modernisation objectives remain as ambitious as ever. It continues to plan for multiple contingencies and allocate resources as necessary.

Commensurate with its rapid economic growth and growing global ambitions, China has pursued a large-scale modernisation – and more recently reorganisation – of its military. Under President Xi Jinping, the People’s Liberation Army has diversified away from its historical focus as a land-based force towards the seas.