Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force at the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress. Photo: VCG

China's national defense budget for 2026 has been set at 1.94 trillion yuan ($281 billion) under the country's general public budget, representing a 6.9 percent increase from last year's executed budget, with the central government accounting for 1.91 trillion yuan ($276 billion), a 7 percent rise, Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force at the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress, said on Tuesday.

The Chinese government adheres to the principle of coordinating national defense development with economic development and determines the scale of defense spending in a reasonable manner, Zhang said.

In recent years, to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests and meet the needs of military transformation with Chinese characteristics, the Chinese government has maintained a reasonable and steady increase in defense spending while promoting sustained and healthy economic and social development, helping ensure that national defense capabilities and economic strength improve in tandem.

According to Zhang, in accordance with the National Defense Law and the Budget Law, China includes its annual defense expenditure in the draft government budget each year. The budget is then submitted to the National People's Congress for review and approval, after which the funds are managed and used in accordance with the law. The total defense budget is also made public.

Consolidating national defense and building a strong military constitute a strategic underpinning for advancing Chinese modernization, Zhang said.

Taking into account the overall needs of national security and development, the 2026 defense budget aims to ensure that the modernization of national defense and that the military proceeds in step with the country's broader modernization process. The budget enhances strategic capability to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and helps to realize the goal of building the armed forces into a world-class military by the centenary of the PLA in 2027.

According to Zhang, the increased defense spending will mainly be used to advance the integrated development of mechanization, informationization and intelligentization, optimize the joint operations system and promote the development of new-domain and new-quality combat forces, accelerate advanced weaponry and defense science innovation while building modern military logistics, and strengthen military training, personnel policies and education at military academies to cultivate high-quality military talents.

China's defense budget growth is expected to slow to 7 percent in 2026, marking the 11th consecutive year of single-digit growth for China's defense budget. The figure stayed at 7.2 percent for 2023, 2024 and 2025, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

The military will advance reforms in budget management, maintain a dynamic balance between the supply and demand of defense funding, strengthen whole-process oversight and performance evaluation of military spending, and ensure every penny is spent where it is needed most, Zhang said.


Global Times