China’s Military Budget Far Bigger Than It Appears Compared to America’s
China’s military budget is significantly larger than it appears relative to that of the United States, 19FortyFive reported on June 20. The report says that the American public is “too often put at ease in believing that the U.S. military remains far ahead of any of its competitors since U.S. spending on defense dwarfs the next 10 countries behind.”
America’s defense spending: The Biden administration has proposed a defense spending of $886 billion for the fiscal year 2024. While this is the highest nominal defense budget in history, it is not as promising as it sounds. When taken as a portion of the gross domestic product, it is one of the lowest budgets for the Pentagon since World War ii.
As a global power, the United States faces the challenge of balancing multiple priorities, such as helping counter Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, deterring Iran, and keeping China out of Taiwan. This results in defense spending that must be spread far more thinly than that of China.
China’s defense spending: China is consistently ramping up its military spending. In March, Beijing announced a defense budget of $227 billion, a 7.7 percent increase from the previous year. However, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan told the Senate last week that China’s defense budget is estimated to be far bigger.
[Intelligence officials] came out and said the real Chinese budget, in terms of the military, is probably close to about $700 billion. That is a big budget.
—Dan Sullivan
An economist at the University of Western Australia found that the gap between U.S.’s and China’s military spending narrows even further when considering the purchasing power within the defense sector. Goods and services are generally far cheaper in China, which means $1 buys much more in China than the same dollar buys in America. When accounting for purchasing power parity, China proves to be the world’s largest economy and is not far away from outspending the U.S. militarily.
The United States also expends a large portion of its defense budget on expensive research and cutting-edge technologies. China’s dollars, meanwhile, are spent much more efficiently, largely by stealing and replicating Western weapons and technology that have already proved to be effective. When it comes to actually gaining an advantage on the battlefield, a Chinese military dollar goes much further than an American one.
Times of the Gentiles: In Luke 21:24, Jesus Christ spoke of “the times of the Gentiles,” an era in which powerful Gentile nations will dominate, as the modern descendants of Israel—mainly America and Britain—become weak and apathetic. In “What Are the Times of the Gentiles?,” Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote:
Once you understand who Israel is, then you can understand how the Gentiles—the non-Israelite peoples—have started to take charge of the world right now. …
China’s actions prove that Gentiles are rising to power before our eyes! And this is just one of many Gentile nations growing more aggressive on the world scene.
China’s increased military spending is one trend contributing to the fulfillment of this coming era. To learn more, read “What Are the Times of the Gentiles?”
