Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping recently called on the military to enhance its combat capabilities and accelerate the establishment of a “world-class military.”
China experts say the additional spending is due to the possibility of conflict between the Chinese regime, the United States, and Japan. Moreover, the confrontation between the CCP, the United States, and the West is rapidly intensifying, and an eventual military confrontation may be difficult to avoid.
Concurrent with this directive, the CCP announced it would increase military spending this year by more than 7 percent. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang recently claimed that there is a “risk of derailment” and a “possibility of falling into confrontation” in China-U.S. relations.
The “Two Sessions”—the two annual plenary sessions of China’s rubber-stamp legislature, the National People’s Congress, and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference—were held in Beijing from March 4 to 13. On March 8, Xi attended a plenary meeting of the military and armed police delegations. He said China must consolidate and improve its “integrated national strategic system and capabilities,” aiming at accelerating the development of a “world-class army.”
Two days prior to these meetings, Tan Kefei, a press spokesperson for the military and armed police delegation at the Two Sessions, confirmed to the official media that China’s defense budget would reflect a 7.2 percent increase to $230 billion.
Tan suggested the increased spending would strengthen military training and introduce new technology and weaponry. This investment, he said, “is solely for the purpose of safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and the development of military interests.”
Potential Conflict With US and Japan
According to professor Frank T. Xie of South Carolina’s Aiken School of Business, the CCP is increasing China’s defense spending because it is preparing for possible conflict with the United States and Japan, and a potential war in the Taiwan Strait or the South China Sea.Xie suggests that Xi’s emphasis on improving combat power during the March 8 military and armed forces delegation meeting was strategic on behalf of the CCP.
“The CCP does not emphasize the Party’s military leadership at this time, which implies that Xi seems to have a firm grip on military power,” he said.
Xi recognized the need for his involvement because “he may be worried the military strength and technology are not strong enough to cope with future military conflicts with the United States, Japan, and Taiwan,” Xie added.
“The CCP may not have the resources or the willingness to engage in international military operations, but it may assist Russia with weapons. But more than anything, the geopolitical risks are causing the CCP to increase its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region.”
Xie said China’s military equipment is purchased mainly from Ukraine and Russia.
“We have seen from the Russia-Ukraine war that Ukrainian and Russian military equipment is far behind the West in terms of military technology, and the CCP clearly recognizes this gap,” he said.
“The CCP is trying to increase the combat capability of its military by stealing advanced technology from the United States. In addition, it is also trying to increase its capability through asymmetric warfare, even in all aspects of warfare or unrestricted warfare.”
Military Budgets Rise Amid China-US Tensions
Although China and the United States are incentivized to cooperate in many areas, the tension between them is rising—notably, since the CCP has stepped up its military deployments in disputed areas, such as the South China Sea, and has become increasingly aggressive toward Taiwan.“It is clear the confrontation between the CCP and the U.S. and the West is intensifying very quickly,“ Xie noted. ”I think an eventual military confrontation is probably inevitable. The CCP is investing more in its military, which will trigger military investments by other countries, especially the United States.”
President Joe Biden’s latest budget for the fiscal year 2024, presented on March 9, calls for a surge in defense spending to $842 billion, a 3.2 percent increase over the fiscal year 2023.
Biden’s budget highlights spending to counter the CCP’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific region, including a $9.1 billion investment in the Pentagon’s Pacific Deterrent Program. This program seeks to maintain and enhance U.S. military capabilities in the region in response to growing tensions with the CCP. Another $400 million will go into a congressionally authorized fund to defeat the CCP in the military, economic, and technological arenas.
During a meeting on March 6, Xi directly criticized the United States. He accused the “U.S.-led Western countries of all-round containment, siege, and suppression“ of the CCP, which has ”brought unprecedented and severe challenges” to China’s development.
In a post acknowledging Xi’s criticism, U.S. current affairs commentator Chen Pokong said senior CCP leaders typically avoid using such terms as “the U.S.-led Western society,” which are commonly used in state media. Chen noted that by directly criticizing the United States, Xi potentially elevated the conflict between China and the United States.
Last October, the United States imposed strict export restrictions on Beijing’s acquisition of chip equipment, technology, and talent. The objective was to stall the development of China’s military using chip technology and prevent further spying on people at home and abroad. Since the restrictions were imposed, China’s chipmakers have been unable to purchase U.S. technology.
