China’s Defense Spend May Equal U.S. By 2023

China’s Defense Spend May Equal U.S. by 2023, Report Says -- Bloomberg

China’s defense spending may equal that of the U.S. within a decade if annual increases continue at the current rate, according to research published today.

Chinese military expenditure has increased by an average of 15 percent a year, according to analysis by the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies. That rate of increase, along with the inclusion of defense spending currently excluded from the People’s Liberation Army’s budget, will cause it to reach U.S. levels around 2023, the institute said.

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My Comment: If China continues to increase it defense budget by double digits per year .... and if sequestration becomes the reality for the U.S. military in the next decade .... the possibility of China surpassing the U.S. in defense spending after 2023 may not only become a reality .... but we may be faced with a China that has a quantitatively larger military (and maybe qualitatively better) than what the U.S. will be able to field. And while there are a lot ifs in this prediction .... I do not see the U.S. changing its direction nor any reason to believe that this trend will change. As for China, their new President has indicated very clearly on what are China's goals.