| REGIONAL COMPARISON OF THE PRC’S 2022 OFFICIAL DEFENSE BUDGET | |
| 2022 $ Billion | |
| PRC (official defense budget) | $229 |
| India | $74.4 |
| Japan | $51.9 |
| Russia (national defense budget) | $90.9 |
| South Korea | $42.5 |
| Taiwan | $16.8 |
PLA PERSONNEL COSTS
China is facing adverse demographics such as an aging population and low-birth rates. The PLA could respond to the demographics issues by raising pay standards to support recruitment and retainment efforts, which would place upward pressure on PLA personnel spending relative to other defense spending categories. The PLA is giving priority to recruiting college graduates with science and engineering backgrounds and those experienced in operating high-tech weapons, suggesting the PLA will have to compete with the private sector to attract top talent.
DEVELOPMENTS AND TRENDS IN ITS DEFENSE INDUSTRY
Key Takeaways
- China’s hypersonic missile technologies have greatly advanced during the past 20 years and many of the PRC’s missile programs are comparable to other international top-tier producers.
- China is the world’s top ship-producing nation by tonnage and is capable of producing a wide range of naval combatants, gas turbine and diesel engines, and shipboard weapons and electronic systems, which makes it nearly self-sufficient for all shipbuilding needs.
MISSILE AND SPACE INDUSTRY
China produces a wide range of ballistic, cruise, air-to-air, and surface-to-air missiles, many comparable in quality to those of other international top-tier producers, for domestic military use and export. China has the world’s leading hypersonic arsenal and has dramatically advanced its development of both conventional and nuclear-armed hypersonic missile technologies during the past 20 years. Beijing fielded its first missile with a hypersonic glide vehicle in 2020 and tested a
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OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China
