China Increases Military Budget by 7.5%

China's government budget report indicates that Beijing will increase its military budget by 7.5%, bringing the total to approximately $177 billion in 2019. The budget report was presented on March 5, just before the annual gathering of representatives at the 'National People's Congress.' Analysts and observers closely monitor issues related to China's military budget, as the world's second-largest economy is increasingly modernizing its military, producing advanced indigenous weapons such as stealth fighters, and expanding its influence in East Asia. The budget increase this year is slightly less than last year's. In 2018, China's military budget increased by 8.1%. In 2017, the figure was 7%, and ten years ago, the military budget increased by 15%. However, the amount allocated in this year's budget is approximately two and a half times more than the budget allocated for military empowerment a decade ago (around $70 billion in 2009). On the other hand, many analysts monitoring Asian issues and Western diplomats say that Beijing conceals the actual costs of its military. This issue has attracted more attention, especially since Xi Jinping, the current President of China, took office and the significant increase in the capabilities of the 'People's Liberation Army.' At the same time, concerns about China's increasing military presence in East Asia and the South China Sea have also grown. Among these concerns are tensions with neighboring countries such as the Philippines, worries about the 'forced annexation' of Taiwan to the People's Republic, and military constructions in disputed seas and islands. China's economic growth is projected to be between 6% and 6.5% in 2019. Ten years ago, China's economic growth was 8.7%. The 'National People's Congress,' which has nearly three thousand members, is held annually at the beginning of spring (in the Chinese lunar calendar) in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and may last up to two weeks. Members of the People's Congress are elected every five years. According to the laws of the People's Republic of China, its congress is a unicameral legislative body with legal powers to enact laws and oversee the government. However, from the perspective of analysts and external observers, this body, despite some functions, does not have a significant ability to enact major laws or conduct extensive oversight over the government and merely endorses the core decisions of the decision-makers in the People's Republic.