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2 min read

Updated On: Jun 09 2026 | 1:11 PM IST

China is undertaking sweeping efforts to strengthen its military. Over the last few decades, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has transformed from an outdated regional military into an increasingly advanced lethal force capable of operating well beyond China’s borders. The PLA’s modernization is far from complete and faces significant obstacles, but Chinese leader Xi Jinping has made it a top priority and is relentlessly pushing for progress.

1. China's Estimated Defense Spending

China’s emergence as an economic superpower has fueled decades of steady increases in military spending. Its official defense budget reached nearly $247 billion in 2025, but government figures understate actual expenditures. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) estimates China’s actual defense spending at about $318 billion in 2024, while another study places it even higher, at $471 billion. Whatever the exact figure, the scale and growth of China’s defense budget have enabled broad investments in equipment, maintenance, personnel, and training.

2. China’s Share of Global Defense Spending

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China spends significantly less on defense than the United States, but the gap is shrinking. In 2012, China’s defense spending was one-sixth that of the United States; by 2024 that figure had risen to one-third. In the Indo-Pacific, China towers over its neighbors, spending five times as much on defense as Japan and nearly seven times as much as South Korea—two key U.S. allies in the region.

3. The Growth of the PLA Navy

Nowhere has the PLA’s progress been more visible than its navy, which is evolving from a coastal force into a “blue-water navy” capable of projecting power globally. The PLA Navy surpassed the U.S. Navy in number of battle force ships around 2014 and is projected to continue growing over the next decade. China still trails the United States in key metrics, like overall ship tonnage, on-ship missile launchers, and experience operating in far seas. Yet China is catching up in these areas. The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) assesses that China’s ability to perform missions outside of the Indo-Pacific’s first island chain is “modest but growing as it gains more experience.”

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