Beijing, March 10 -- Amid the chaos of global volatility and security tensions, China is increasing its 2026 defence budget by 7%, according to a March 5 announcement. This is a slightly lower proportional increase than the annual 7.2% rises that China has maintained over the past three years.

As war rages in the Middle East, the announcement of China's defence budget did not receive the fanfare and international attention it normally does. Furthermore, China's security calculus is affected by Chairman Xi Jinping losing political friends in Venezuela and Iran in recent months, and the free flow of oil into China's refineries has also been affected.

Regarding the defence budget, official state media organ Xinhua cited officials as saying...