China has announced a 7.2% increase in military spending, the 8th consecutive annual increase and a slight increase from 2022. China now has the second largest military budget in the world at 1.55 trillion yuan ($224 billion) and double China’s defense spending in 2013. In addition to a 2 million-member People’s Liberation Army, China has the world’s largest navy which recently added a third aircraft carrier. Also, China has the largest air force in the Indo-Pacific region, with half it’s aircraft being fourth or fifth generation. China has now an established a military base in Djibouti in East Africa and is refurbishing a base in Cambodia.
