Tensions with China, India and Japan increase military spending
(Baonghean.vn) - According to a report released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on May 2, tensions with China have forced Asian countries, including India and Japan, to increase military spending.
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| India has increased military spending due to the conflict with China around the controversial Doklam border. Photo: AP |
India's defense spending increased 5.5% to $63.9 billion last year, surpassing France to become one of the world's top five military spenders, according to the SIPRI report.
Last year, the US, China, Saudi Arabia and Russia were the top four countries in military spending. “The Indian government plans to expand, modernise and enhance the operational capabilities of its armed forces, partly driven by tensions with China and Pakistan,” the report said.
“Tensions between China and many of its neighbors continue to be a factor driving strong military spending in Asia,” said Siemon Wezeman, a senior researcher at SIPRI.
According to SIPRI, the US and China have been the two biggest military spenders in recent years, reaching $610 billion and $228 billion respectively last year. China's military spending was 3.6 times that of India, the second-largest spender in the region.
As Beijing pushes to modernize its People's Liberation Army (PLA), the country pledged to increase military spending by 8.1 percent in 2018.
Although Sino-Indian relations have shown signs of thawing following meetings between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last September and most recently last weekend in China, satellite images released by the US geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor in January showed that the two countries are still actively increasing their military presence near the border area.
Meanwhile, although the SIPRI report showed that Japan still ranked eighth in military spending, its defense spending in the fiscal year that started on April 1 increased by 1.3% to 5.9 trillion yen (US$45.76 billion), marking the sixth consecutive year of increase.
Japan's increased defense spending represents a shift in policy since the defense budget was cut in 2012. "The clear threats from China and North Korea remain the most important factors influencing Japan's security strategy," the report said./.