China's defense budget exceeds 30 trillion yen, showing a 7.2% increase from last year

Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

中国 国防費 30兆円余 去年より7.2％増加で軍備増強姿勢示す

2023年3月5日 19時21分

中国政府は、ことしの予算案で、国防費について、去年と比べて7.2％多い、1兆5537億人民元、日本円で30兆円余りになることを明らかにし、軍備の増強を続ける姿勢を改めて示しました。

中国政府は、5日から始まった全人代＝全国人民代表大会で、ことしの予算案を明らかにしました。

このうち、国防費は去年と比べて7.2％多い、およそ1兆5537億人民元、日本円で30兆5400億円余りとなり、予算の伸び率は、去年の7.1％より増加しました。

中国の国防費をめぐっては、詳しい内訳が公表されていないうえ、海外から調達する兵器の費用や研究開発費が含まれず、透明性が欠けているとして各国の専門家などから根強い批判の声があります。

中国は「今世紀半ばまでに世界一流の軍隊を作る」という目標を掲げながら、軍備の増強を進めています。

こうした中、去年には艦載機を加速して発進させることができる電磁式の「カタパルト」を採用したとする3隻目の空母「福建」を進水させるなどしていて、最新兵器の開発に力を入れています。

背景には、台湾への関与を続けるアメリカやアメリカとの関係を深める台湾をけん制するねらいもあるとみられ、今回の予算案でも、改めて軍備増強を続ける姿勢を鮮明にした形です。

李克強首相「国防発展の重大なプロジェクト 実施を加速させる」

李克強首相は、ことしの政府活動報告で、これまでの国防政策について「軍に対する党の絶対的な指導を堅持し、国防と軍隊の建設において新たに重大な成果を収め、近代化の水準と実戦能力を顕著に向上させた」と強調しました。

そのうえで、ことしの国防政策について「『習近平強軍思想』を貫徹し、軍創設100年の奮闘目標の実現に向けて、訓練と戦闘準備を全面的に強化するとともに、国防発展の重大なプロジェクトの実施を加速させる」と強調し、軍備の増強を一層、進める姿勢を示しました。

中国の国防費の推移

中国の国防費は、1989年以降、ほぼ毎年、前の年を10％以上上回るペースで増え続け、2017年に1兆人民元の大台を突破しました。

2016年以降の伸び率は1桁となっていますが、ことしの国防費は予算案でおよそ1兆5537億人民元、日本円で30兆5400億円余りとなり、日本の新年度予算案の防衛費と比べると4.5倍ほどになっています。

一方、アメリカの国防費は2023年度の予算で8580億ドル、日本円で116兆円余りとなっていて、中国はアメリカに次いで世界第2位の軍事大国となっています。

Translation

In this year's budget proposal, the Chinese government announced that the defense budget would be 1.5537 trillion yuan, which was 7.2% higher than last year, or more than 30 trillion Japanese yen, showing that it again would continue to strengthen its armaments.

The Chinese government announced the budget proposal for this year at the National People's Congress which started on the 5th.

Of this, the defense budget increased by 7.2% from last year to approximately 1.5537 trillion yuan, or more than 30.54 trillion Japanese yen, and the budget growth rate was a 7.1%. increase from last year's amount.

China's defense spending details had not been disclosed, and it hds been strongly criticized by experts in various countries for its lack of transparency, as it did not include the costs of weapons procured from overseas and expenses on research and development.

China had set a goal of building a world-class military by the middle of this century, and was continuing to build up its armaments.

Under such circumstances, last year it launched the third aircraft carrier "Fujian", which was said to have adopted an electromagnetic "catapult" that could increase the launching speed of carrier-based aircraft,  putting in effort to develop the latest weapons.

In the background, it was also believed that the aim was to restrain the United States which continued to engage in Taiwan, and Taiwan which was deepening its relationship with the United States. This budget proposal also made clear once again the stance of continuing to build up its military.

Premier Li Keqiang - ``Accelerating the Implementation of Major Projects for National Defense Development''

Premier Li Keqiang said in this year's government work report that, regarding the defense policy so far, “We will adhere to the party's absolute leadership over the military, make new significant achievements in the construction of national defense and the military”, and we have significantly improved the level of modernization and combat capabilities.”

On top of that, regarding this year's national defense policy, he stressed that ``We will implement the 'Xi Jinping Strong Military Thought' and comprehensively strengthen training and combat preparations to achieve the goal of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the military. We will accelerate the implementation of the major projects”, showing a willingness to further strengthen the armaments.

Changes in China's defense spending

Since 1989, China's defense budget had continued to grow at a rate of more than 10% higher than the previous year almost every year, surpassing the RMB 1 trillion mark in 2017.

The growth rate since 2016 had been in the single digits, but this year's national defense budget was about 1.5537 trillion yuan, and would be more than 30.54 trillion Japanese yen. It was about 4.5 times the defense budget of Japan's new budget proposal.

On the other hand, the US defense budget for fiscal 2023 was $858 billion, or more than 116 trillion in Japanese yen, making China the second largest military power in the world after the US.

So, China’s defense budget will be 1.5537 trillion yuan, which is 7.2% higher than last year, showing that it will continue to strengthen its armaments.  Even this figure is doubtful. China has been strongly criticized by experts in various countries for its lack of transparency in defense budget as it does not include the costs of weapons procured from overseas and expenses on research and development.