After a week of conclave in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the 3,000 Chinese parliamentarians returned home on Tuesday March 12, not without having adopted the annual budget, which, as in previous years, provides for an increase in military spending ‘around 7% – two points more than the expected economic growth in the country this year.
The Chinese authorities regularly argue that the sum allocated to its defense – or 232 billion dollars (around 214 billion euros) – remains much lower than that of the United States (886 billion dollars). Nevertheless, this constant increase in Beijing’s military spending, combined with an aggressive policy towards several of its neighbors – Taiwan, but also India, the Philippines and Japan -, leads the countries of the region to increase in turn their military spending and to strengthen their cooperation between them.
Taiwan relies on deterrence
The Taiwanese defense budget thus reached a record of 19 billion dollars (17.3 billion euros) in 2024. Taipei announced, on February 16, an agreement with Défense Conseil International, a group linked to the French government, for a value of just over 72 million euros. This involves modernizing the six frigates purchased from France in 1991, by upgrading the electronic equipment that controls the missile launchers and radars. While a visit to Paris by Chinese President Xi Jinping is planned for May, Beijing has so far not reacted.
This is just one example of the efforts made by the island to equip itself with a defense capable of deterring China from invading it. Long convinced that the United States would come to its aid, Taiwan has now become aware of its vulnerability and of the need to have a solid military force.
Taipei is also looking to improve its air fleet. Its fifty-four Mirage 2000s still in operation are aging. The island has one hundred and thirty-nine F-16s, upgraded by the American manufacturer Lockheed Martin, but Washington refuses to provide it with its latest aircraft, the F-22 and F-35, for fear of an overreaction of Beijing and because in the event of war, these technological monsters could fall into the hands of China.
If the acquisition of submarines, which had been discussed with Washington in 2001, did not materialize, Taiwan presented its first nationally manufactured submarine in September 2023. And since the start of the year, the The duration of compulsory military service is now one year, compared to four months previously.
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