China's increased military spending will fund its military modernization and help develop advanced weapons and defense technology innovation, the spokesperson for the military delegation at its annual parliament meeting, Zhang Xiaogang, said Tuesday.
The Chinese government has kept defense spending growing at a steady and reasonable pace in recent years, coordinated with economic development, Zhang said, Reuters reported.
China's nationwide defense spending in 2026 is set at 1.94 trillion yuan ($282 billion) in the national public budget, up 6.9% from the previous year. That includes 1.91 trillion yuan from the central government, a 7% increase on the year.
The increased spending will be used for China's military modernization, optimizing joint combat systems, speeding up development of advanced weapons and defense technology innovation, as well as military personnel and training.
The military will promote reform of military budget management and strengthen full-chain control and performance evaluation to ensure efficient and effective spending.
