#精品长文创作季#
The situation in Europe is unpredictable, and the competition between China and the United States is becoming more and more severe. At a time when the world is becoming more and more uncertain in the future, China continues to increase its military spending and strengthen its comprehensive military strength. However, the fact that they did not want China to increase military spending was protested by the Americans. The United States has good intentions and wants to help China save money?
At a time when global competition is becoming more and more fierce, if China chooses to save on military spending, it will undoubtedly be preparing for the West to provide reparations. So why did the United States suddenly have "good intentions" and want to save money for China, and why did China continue to increase its military spending?
1. The pros and cons of reckless militarism
Countless historical examples tell us that if a country indulges in "reckless militarism", it will inevitably decline. The most striking example of this is the Soviet Union during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.
After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union became the two most powerful countries in the world. It competes in all its areas politically, militarily and economically. And because of the difference in political systems, there was a possibility of war at one time.
In order to prepare for a potential war, the two great powers waged a 44-year struggle for hegemony between the United States and the Soviet Union, and the Cold War between the two can also be seen as a struggle between the capitalist camp and the socialist camp.
Specifically, the Cold War was divided into two aspects: political and military, and on the military side, the United States and the Soviet Union actively developed their military. The investment in warships, fighter planes, and tanks is constantly increasing, and military exercises are even more continuous, showing off the opponent's muscles.
Politically, it is the formation of a community of allies. The Soviet Union united with the countries of the socialist camp to form the Warsaw Pact, and the United States united with some European countries to form NATO.
In response to the Cold War with the United States, the Soviet Union spent a lot of money on the military field, ignoring the limitations of its own economic development.
The Soviet Union developed heavy industry, but light industry was inferior to that of the United States.
In addition, the Soviet Union was a natural disadvantage, and the severe cold weather led to sluggish agricultural development. The tertiary industry never rose, and the already weak economy of the Soviet Union was gradually dragged down by the arms race, and finally could only be reduced to the end of dissolution.
Through the example of the Soviet Union, we can see that the final result of reckless militarism is inevitably to fail. So is it feasible to reduce military spending and instead develop the economy?
If a country does not pay enough attention to the development of the military industry, even if the economy is developed, it will always be the "fat meat" in the eyes of other countries, the most typical example of which is the late Qing Dynasty.
In the late Qing Dynasty, two trade routes by sea and inland were used to transport silk, spices and other goods to all parts of the world, earning 10,000 taels of silver. However, due to the stubbornness of the Qing government, it closed itself off from the country and abandoned military development. In the end, it was knocked on the door of the country by Western countries and fell to the tragic end of being a semi-colony!
Therefore, if there is too much or too little military spending, it may have a counterproductive effect. What is the background of the mainland, and why is it currently increasing its military spending? Why are there many small developed countries in the world that are not interested in military development?
2. On what grounds is the mainland increasing its military spending?
In the early days of the founding of New China, the mainland was still in a situation of internal and external troubles. Therefore, in order to promote stability, China's military spending has always been among the highest in the world. In 1979, the Continental Army spent 5.43% of GDP.
With the entry of the 80s of the 20th century, the international situation gradually stabilized. The opening up of the mainland began to be implemented, and the whole country was in a critical period of vigorous economic development, and at this time, the mainland gradually reduced its military spending.
With the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the end of the US-Soviet struggle for hegemony, the world situation has changed to a situation in which the United States is led by one superpower and many powers. The proportion of the Continental Army's expenditure has been declining for many years, gradually decreasing from 5.43% in 1979 to 1.26% in 2017.
However, with the increasing changes in the international situation in recent years, the proportion of the Continental Army's expenditure has begun to rebound. In 2023, China's military spending increased by 7.2% year-on-year, with military spending reaching 1,553.7 billion yuan.
This figure will rise again in 2024, as is clearly stated in the recently released draft budget. China's military spending in 2024 will reach 1,665.54 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.2%.
In terms of the military spending of other countries in the world, China's military spending figures look like "behemoths". Among them, Japan's current defense budget is 53 billion US dollars, and the proportion of military spending in the total GDP of European countries is only 2%.
Many European countries, as developed countries, have good economic development, but why is their own military spending so low?
There are two main reasons for the low military investment of European countries, the first is that most European countries are "small countries". It does not have high-quality resources and geographical location, so its ability to attract international powers such as the United States is limited.
For example, countries with rich geological resources, such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq, even if they are both small countries. But it was also coveted by developed countries and reduced to fragmentation.
Moreover, the people of these countries are economically rich, and the common people are not willing to join the military and carry out brutal training. Moreover, most of the developed countries in Europe have an international reputation, and most of them are American juniors. It has close economic and trade ties with it and has been granted asylum by the United States.
Since the international status of the mainland is vastly different from that of the developed and small European countries, what is the reason for the mainland's increase in military spending in recent years?
The mainland's increase in military spending is mainly due to further changes in the current international situation and the need to take precautions.
The current international situation is still in a very turbulent stage, with continuous disputes in the Middle East and unpredictable situations between Russia and Ukraine. Russia, which is also a big country, is even more trapped in this and it is difficult to get out.
This has played a warning role for the mainland.
Another reason for the mainland's increase in military spending is the further improvement of the US island chain plan. In order to restrict the development of Asian countries and control the situation in Asia, the United States has established an island chain plan with the Philippine Islands, the Ryukyu Islands, and the Japanese Islands.
With the gradual fermentation of the Ren'ai Jiao incident between the Philippines and the mainland, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict continues to have an invisible impact on the mainland. In the future, it is very likely that a more severe conflict will break out, and the mainland will inevitably need to make arrangements in advance and take all possible measures to deal with it!
Faced with the reality of China's military spending growth in recent years, the United States is dissatisfied. Even for the UN to protest, then what is the reason for the US protest, and will it be supported by the UN?
3. The United States protests against China's double-standard behavior of increasing military spending
With the release of China's 2024 military spending data, the United States has once again filed a complaint with the United Nations. It claims that China's military spending has increased by 50 percent in the past 10 years, and that the continuous growth of its military spending will lead to the United States having to increase its military budget. This will trigger a new round of the arms race.
Not only that, but the United States also "kindly" said that the global economy is currently in the post-epidemic era. As the global economy is slowing down, China, as a representative of the global commodity market, should vigorously develop the commodity economy and focus more fiscal spending on the economic field.
The US proposal seems to be helping the mainland save military spending, but behind it is its own careful thinking. It blames China for an average annual increase in military spending, which is only 4 percent. It seems that he has the upper hand, but in fact, this data hides a mystery.
Although China's military spending growth rate is higher than that of the United States, its military spending base is much lower than that of the United States. Comparing China's military spending in 2024, China's military spending is $230 billion in US dollars, while the total U.S. military spending in 2024 is more than $340 billion.
Therefore, the United States seems to have a lower growth rate, but its actual military spending, which is increasing year by year, has always been at the top of the list in the world. The continuous increase in US military spending is the main culprit that may lead to another round of the arms race!
As for the United States, the reason for "framing" China to the United Nations. Behind this is the hidden concern about China's economic growth and the continuous improvement of its comprehensive national strength.
China is fundamentally different from the former Soviet Union, and China has the most complete commercial industry chain in the world. The economic development trend is on the rise, so China has a strong economic foundation to compete militarily with the United States.
Moreover, with the continuous growth of China's military spending, China's military science and technology have ushered in rapid progress. The emergence of various advanced fighter planes, aircraft, and aircraft carriers has put the United States under heavy pressure.
The United States, on the other hand, seems to be preoccupied with itself. First of all, it was affected by the epidemic, which led to the near shutdown of the domestic commodity manufacturing industry, and a large number of working people were laid off and unemployed. The other is that it is deeply involved in the Russia-Ukraine war and the whirlpool of the situation in the Middle East, and a large number of military forces have been contained.
Under the pressure of one another, the United States is full of worries about China's development and fears that its status as a great power will be surpassed by China. In addition, they instigated the media to hype up China's military strength in an attempt to use the pressure of public opinion to prevent the further strengthening of China's military strength.
In the face of the storm of public opinion brought by the United States, will the mainland retreat?
The answer, of course, is no. As far as the mainland is concerned, the tragic history of modern history has made the mainland clear. Only by mastering military strength can we grasp the right to speak in international affairs.
Therefore, with the further unpredictable changes in the international situation, the mainland will continue to increase its military spending in the future. Protect domestic stability and enhance international influence.
epilogue
The increase in China's military spending has aroused dissatisfaction with the United States, which is trying to use public pressure to force China to reduce its military spending. In reality, however, US military spending has always been higher than China's, and the US accusations are full of double standards.
In the future, with further changes in the global situation, the mainland will once again increase its military spending. In order to cope with the unpredictable international situation and maintain the leading position of the mainland in the world.
What do you have to say about China's increased military spending being opposed by the United States? What do you think about the United States' double-standard behavior? Welcome to leave a message in the comment area for discussion.