The draft budget submitted at the second session of China's 14th National People's Congress (NPC) on March 5 showed that China's national fiscal budget for defense expenditure in 2024 was RMB 1.66554 trillion (roughly USD 231.7 billion), reflecting a same growth rate of 7.2 percent as the previous year.
3月5日，在第十四届全国人民代表大会第二次会议上提交的预算草案显示，2024年全国财政安排国防支出预算16655.4亿元，增长7.2%，增幅与去年持平。
As soon as the data was released, some US and Western media began to hype up China's defense expenditure. It is the same old trick. They either overstate the growth of China's defense spending, hype up the so-called "Chinese military threat theory", or smear China's defense spending for not being open and transparent.
这则消息一出，美西方一些媒体又开始炒作中国国防费问题。只不过还是熟悉的配方和味道：要么炒作中国国防费膨胀；要么污蔑鼓噪“中国军事威胁论”；要么抹黑中国国防费开支不公开不透明。
Is the increase in China's defense budget excessive?
中国的国防费预算增长到底多不多？
China's defense budget has maintained single-digit growth for nine consecutive years from 2016 to 2024, and this year's growth rate is the same as last year. In contrast, the defense budget increases of the US, Japan, and India etc. have remained above double digits. Among them, the defense budget of the US in the fiscal year 2024 reached USD 886 billion, exceeding the combined military expenditure of the next nine countries and accounting for approximately 40 percent of the total global military expenditure. Japan's defense budget in 2024 increased by 16.5 percent year-on-year, marking a continuous growth for 11 consecutive years. The growth of China's defense budget is very restrained compared with these countries.
从2016年至2024年，中国国防费预算连续9年保持个位数增长，且今年增长幅度与去年持平。反观美国、日本、印度等国防预算增幅都保持在两位数以上。其中美国2024财年国防经费达8860亿美元，超过排在其后面9个国家军费的总和，约占全球军费总额的40%。日本2024年防卫预算同比增长16.5%，保持连续11年不断增长。跟这些国家相比，中国国防费预算的增长可以说已经很克制了。
Moreover, in terms of the proportion of the defense budget in GDP, China's defense budget has remained at a little above one percent for years, which is far below the world average. In contrast, the US' proportion stands at over three percent. In terms of per capita military spending, the US is more than 15 times that of China. From this perspective, it is clear that some Western media persistently focus on China's defense budget growth without considering its proportion to GDP and fail to provide comparative analysis of defense spending by other countries. Such deed appears to be intentionally confrontational and sensational.
而且按国防预算占国内生产总值比重来说，中国国防预算常年维持在占比百分之一点几，远远低于世界平均水平。而美国的这一比例在3%以上。按人均军费开支算，美国是中国的15倍多。这样看来，一些美西方媒体揪住中国国防费增长不放，却不说中国国防预算所占比重，不横向介绍世界其他国家国防费增长情况，很明显是故意找茬、刻意炒作。
Does China pose a threat to world peace and stability?
中国有没有对世界和平稳定构成威胁？
Whether a country poses a military threat to others depends more crucially on its foreign and defense policies, rather than on the increase in its defense spending. China has consistently adhered to the path of peaceful development and steadfastly pursued a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. This is not a temporary policy, nor a mere diplomatic rhetoric. The Chinese people do not follow the outdated logic that a country will invariably seek hegemony when it is strong enough, nor will they impose the suffering they once endured on others. Since its establishment, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has never initiated external wars or armed conflicts, never invaded any country, or occupied an inch of foreign territory.
一个国家是否对其他国家构成军事威胁，关键看这个国家的外交和国防政策，而不是看这个国家的国防费增加了多少。中国始终不渝走和平发展道路，坚定奉行防御性国防政策，这不是权宜之计，更不是外交辞令。中国人民不接受“国强必霸”的逻辑，更不会将自己曾经遭受的苦难再强加给别人。解放军自成立之日起，从未主动挑起过对外战争和武装冲突，从未侵略过任何一个国家，从未占领过别国一寸领土。
In fact, China has not threatened any country. Instead, it has played an active and important role in maintaining world peace and development. In recent years, China has actively fulfilled its international responsibilities as a major country power and participated in international peacekeeping, maritime escort, humanitarian rescue, and other operations. China is one of the major contributors to United Nations peacekeeping operations and the largest troop contributing country among permanent members of the Security Council. China strives to make its contribution to building a better world of lasting peace and universal security.
事实上，中国不仅没有威胁过任何一个国家，而且在维护世界和平和发展方面发挥着积极且重要的作用。近些年来，中国积极履行大国军队国际责任，参加国际维和、海上护航、人道主义救援等行动，是联合国维和行动的主要出资国之一，是安理会常任理事国中第一大出兵国，努力为建设持久和平、普遍安全的美好世界作出自己的贡献。
For example, since the new round of Palestine-Israel conflict broke out, China has been working hard to mediate this conflict devoted to mediation and making unremitting efforts to quell the war in Gaza as soon as possible, alleviate the humanitarian disaster, and achieve long-term peace and stability in the Middle East. On the contrary, some countries have ignored the humanitarian disaster, blindly picked sides, abused their veto power, stifled the consensus of the Security Council, and repeatedly obstructed the ceasefire in Gaza.
拿新一轮巴以冲突来说，中国一直为此奔走斡旋，为早日平息加沙战火、缓解人道灾难、实现中东长治久安作出不懈努力。反倒是某些国家无视人道主义灾难，一味地“拉偏架”，滥用否决权，扼杀安理会的共识，三番四次阻挠加沙停火。
Is China's defense spending open and transparent?
中国国防费开支是否公开透明？
Regarding the use of China's defense expenditures, the spokesperson for the second session of the 14th NPC has publicly stated that in accordance with the requirements of the National Defense Law, Budget Law and other laws and regulations, the annual defense expenditure budget is included in the government budget draft, which is reviewed and approved by China's NPC, and administered and used in accordance with the law.
关于中国国防费的开支使用情况，十四届全国人大二次会议新闻发言人已经公开表示，按照国防法、预算法等法律法规的要求，每年的国防支出预算都纳入政府预算草案，由全国人大审查和批准，依法管理和使用。
China actively participates in the United Nations Report on Military Expenditures system and has submitted military expenditure reports for the previous fiscal year to the United Nations every year since 2008. The white paper China's National Defense in the New Era shows the growth level and expenditure of China's defense expenditures to the outside world. There is no hidden expenditure problem at all. On the contrary, some covert military action plans of some Western powers around the world are hidden in covered by defense expenditures as confidential projects and have never been made public. Faced with these facts, some foreign media continue to practice "double standards" and repeatedly hype up the "opacity" of China's defense expenditure. If they are not poor in understanding, they must have ulterior motives and deliberately stir up trouble.
中国积极参加联合国军费透明制度，从2008年起每年向联合国提交上一财政年度军事开支报告。《新时代的中国国防》白皮书向外界直观地展现了中国国防费用的增长水平和国防费用的开支情况，根本不存在隐性支出问题。反倒是某些西方大国在全球各地的一些隐蔽军事行动计划都以保密项目隐藏在国防费中，从未向外公开。面对这些事实，某些外媒持续“双标”行径，再三炒作中国国防费不透明问题，若不是理解力差，想必就是别有用心，故意搬弄是非了。
As one of the countries with various neighbors and complex land border and maritime rights and interests issues in the world, China has appropriately increased its investment in national defense and military building to effectively respond to the risks and challenges facing national security and build a strong military so as to seek a safer development environment. It is legitimate, reasonable and beyond reproach.
作为世界上邻国最多，陆地边界和海洋权益问题最复杂的国家之一，中国为有效应对国家安全面临的风险挑战，加大对国防和军队建设的适当投入，建设一支强大的人民军队，为自己寻找更安全的发展环境，这是正当合理、无可非议的。
The foreign media's hype about China's defense expenditure growth is groundless and nothing but worn-out cliché. On the matter of defense expenditure, the Chinese people have the final say. They will not base their decisions on others' opinions, nor will they ever be swayed by other people's words.
外媒炒作中国国防费增长，显然是无中生有、老生常谈。在国防费开支这件事情上，中国人民自己说了算，我们不会看别人脸色，也绝不会被别人的言论轻易左右。
