Xi Jinping: It is considered inevitable that he will be confirmed for a third term as the head of state

DLNews Politics:

At the start of the National People's Congress, China announced the highest increase in its defense spending in the past four years.

 The outgoing Prime Minister Li Keqiang (67) referred to "outside attempts to suppress and contain China" in his propaganda speech on Sunday.

223 BILLION DOLLARS FOR THE MILITARY

The budget plan presented by Li provides for a 7.2 percent increase in defense spending compared to the previous year. This means 1.55 trillion yuan (223 billion Dollars) would be available for the defense budget this year.

Premier Li told the nearly 3,000 delegates in Beijing that China's armed forces should "intensify military education and training in all fields, devote more energy to training in combat conditions, and strengthen military work in all directions and fields."

China's military leaders attend the opening session of the National People's Congress in Beijing

With the now-announced 7.2 percent, Beijing's defense spending will increase slightly more this year than in 2022; last year, the increase was already 7.1 percent.

China has been working on modernizing its military for years. By 2050, Beijing plans to transform it into a "world-class" force capable of rivaling Western powers.

The US remains the world leader with a planned $800 billion in defense spending.

However, foreign experts are convinced that China, the number two in arms spending, spends far more on its military than is officially known.

Beijing wants "reunification" with Taiwan.

Regarding Taiwan, Li spoke of "reunification" and said Beijing should "promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations." At the same time, he spoke out against "separatism" in Taiwan and against the island's official independence.

China sees Taiwan, which has been seceded since 1949, as a breakaway territory. US officials have repeatedly warned of a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

Niklas Swanstrom of the Swedish Institute for Security and Development Strategy (ISDP) sees Beijing's defense spending as an investment "in its ability to take Taiwan and keep the US out of the region." There is an "arms race in Northeast Asia" that China is driving forward with its armament.

As usual, the MPs at the expected ten-day National People's Congress should unanimously approve the decisions of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CP). So it is inevitable that President Xi Jinping (69) will be confirmed for a third term as the head of state. This further cemented his position as the most influential president since the state's founder, Mao Zedong.