Days after President Donald Trump outlined a boost to the U.S defence budget, China has also announced that it will increase military spending by about seven per cent in 2017.
The scheduled announcement was made ahead of the annual National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing.
China has been modernising its armed forces recently as its economy expands but it’s announced defence budget remains smaller than that of the U.S.
Some observers however argue that the real figure could be much higher.
According to the BBC, the announcement marks the second consecutive year that the increase in China’s defence spending has been below 10 per cent, following nearly two decades at or above that figure.
