China has set a goal to complete the basic modernization of its military by 2035, and to transform its forces into a world-class army by the mid-21st century. Meanwhile, President Xi, also the General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, reaffirmed in a report to the 19th National Congress, that with a defense policy that is defensive in nature, China's development will not pose a threat to any other country.  

XI JINPING GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE CPC CENTRAL COMMITTEE "China pursues a national defense policy that is in nature defensive. China's development does not pose a threat to any other country. No matter what stage of development it reaches, China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion."

According to a budget report submitted to the national legislature, China's defense budget in 2018 will be 1.11 trillion yuan. That's roughly 175 billion US dollars -- an 8.1 percent increase from last year. Although slightly higher than the previous two years, military spending is still about one-quarter of the proposed US defense spending for 2018. Zhang Yesui, spokesperson for the first annual session of the 13th NPC, explained that the rise in defense spending is partly to compensate for past insufficiencies in spending, and is mainly being used to upgrade equipment, improve the lives of servicemen and women, and to improve training conditions for troops.