The interior investigation of Taiwanese armed forces, analysed by the Reuters Agency and confirmed by 4 officials, reveals details of how Chinese defence expenditure is utilized in the context of Beijing's expanding military presence and intensification of exercises.
The study included a summary of the Air and Maritime Missions of the People's Liberation Army of China in 2024 and estimates of fuel and consumable costs for each hr of operation, including maintenance, repair and remuneration. The full amount was about 152 billion yuan ($21.25 billion).
By comparison, China's authoritative defence budget last year was 1.77 trillion yuan (233.47 billion), which means that estimated expenditure on the exercises accounted for about 9% of the full budget. The Chinese air force, including fighters, bombers and drones, conducted almost 12 1000 flights, spending 37 1000 hours in the air – about 30 percent more than in the erstwhile year.
At sea, activity increased by about 20%; naval units, including aircraft carriers, spent 2 million hours on cruises, conducting 86,000 operations, of which more than 1 3rd in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
No comment
Neither the Chinese Ministry of Defence nor the Taiwan Bureau responded to requests for comment. China, which, contrary to the opposition of the Taipei government, considers Taiwan to be its territory, has repeatedly ensured that their military spending is transparent and does not pose a threat. Furthermore, Reuters could not independently verify the accuracy of the estimates of Taiwanese authorities. Experts have assessed that the methodology utilized is feasible and can supply valuable data, although it naturally requires certain assumptions and simplifications.
Warnings of Japan
Already last month, Japan expressed serious concerns about China's increasing advantage over Taiwan. Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi stressed that the military balance in the region is shifting to the benefit of Beijing, and a peculiar study published by Tokyo indicates an expanding hazard of conflict, higher than since planet War II.
In the latest White Paper of defence 2025, Japan warns that the strategical rivalry of China-Americans escalates and Russia, China and North Korea – especially in the context of the Pyongyang atomic weapons programme – pose a possible threat to regional and global security. An crucial part of the study focuses straight on China and the threat they pose to Taiwan and indirectly on the full region, including Japan. According to the report's authors, there is simply a increasing hazard that China will search to absorb Taiwan through military action, including operations in the alleged grey area.
The past and present of Taiwan
Taiwan's past is closely linked to the destiny of China, although it besides developed in a separate way. The island was repeatedly subjected to abroad influences – from Dutch and Spanish colonization in the 17th century, to the governments of the Chinese Ming and Qing dynasty. In 1895, after the Chinese-Japanese War, Taiwan came under nipponese rule, which continued until the end of planet War II. After its completion, the island was handed over to China, but as a consequence of the 1949 China civilian War, the Kuomintang government withdrew to Taiwan while the Communist organization of China took control of the continent.
Since then, Taiwan has been functioning as a de facto independent state, with its own government, economy and democratic system, although continental China inactive regards the island as part of its territory. The relations between Beijing and Taipei are strained and Taiwan's position remains 1 of the most crucial points of dispute in the East Asian region, affecting global policy, safety and relations with powers.
