China's President Xi Jinping, bottom center, arrives for the second plenary session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 7, 2023. (GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images)
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on his nation's military to bolster its strength to "world-class standards."
Xi made the comment Wednesday in a speech before the National People's Congress — China's highest legislative body.
Xi told the Congress of Chinese Communist Party members that the nation must bolster its "national strategic capabilities" in order to "systematically upgrade the country’s overall strength to cope with strategic risks, safeguard strategic interests and realize strategic objectives."
China's President Xi Jinping, bottom center, arrives for the second plenary session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 7, 2023. (GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images)
The comments reflect a growing concern within the Chinese government that its relations with the U.S. could come to confrontational head.
The Chinese government will boost its military spending by 7.2% this year, rising to a total budget of 1.56 trillion yuan.
In U.S. dollars, China's budget now sits at $230 billion, up nearly $16 billion from its budget in 2022. China's Ministry of Finance announced the new infusion of cash in its annual report on Sunday. READ MORE...
Xi made the comment Wednesday in a speech before the National People's Congress — China's highest legislative body.
Xi told the Congress of Chinese Communist Party members that the nation must bolster its "national strategic capabilities" in order to "systematically upgrade the country’s overall strength to cope with strategic risks, safeguard strategic interests and realize strategic objectives."
China's President Xi Jinping, bottom center, arrives for the second plenary session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 7, 2023. (GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images)
The comments reflect a growing concern within the Chinese government that its relations with the U.S. could come to confrontational head.
The Chinese government will boost its military spending by 7.2% this year, rising to a total budget of 1.56 trillion yuan.
In U.S. dollars, China's budget now sits at $230 billion, up nearly $16 billion from its budget in 2022. China's Ministry of Finance announced the new infusion of cash in its annual report on Sunday. READ MORE...
