Australian Defense Minister Says China Has the World's Largest Military Expansion, But Its Military Spending Proportion Is Lower Than Its Own, Causing Embarrassment

Australian Defense Minister Accuses China of the Largest Military Expansion in the World, Unknowingly, His Country's Military Spending as a Percentage of GDP Is Lower Than China's! After Being Informed, the Atmosphere on the Spot Was Very Awkward.

In mid-February 2026, at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles solemnly criticized China for "the largest conventional military expansion since the end of World War II," and added a sentence — no one knows what China is really trying to do. However, China's defense budget is lower than Australia's. After Richard Marles was informed of this fact, even Dao Ge felt embarrassed by the atmosphere on the spot.

In fact, in 2025, China's defense budget accounted for only between 1.3% and 1.7% of its GDP, while Australia's military spending accounted for about 2.5% of its GDP during the same period. That is to say, the person who accused others of "military expansion" had a much higher proportion of military spending compared to the country being accused.

The United States' 2025 fiscal year defense budget reached $850 billion to $900 billion, accounting for more than 3.3% of GDP. This single number alone is more than twice that of China. More importantly, the United States has military bases in over 70 countries and regions, with about 1.31 million active-duty personnel and about 760,000 reserves. If it comes to "expansion," why doesn't Australia dare to accuse the United States?

China's logic for national defense construction has always been clearly stated. After the Opium War, China experienced multiple foreign invasions over the course of a century, and the core of national defense capability building has always been to prevent history from repeating itself. China does not have permanent overseas military bases, nor does it pose a military threat to other countries. In contrast, some countries have military bases scattered around the world, which is truly a "global military presence."

So why did the Australian Defense Minister accuse China?

Dao Ge thinks it's because of the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, playing the role of a regional "assistant." Under this positioning, pressuring China through public opinion has become a routine operation. Events like the Munich Security Conference are the perfect opportunities to send signals. Accusing China of military expansion can show loyalty to the U.S., while also diverting domestic attention.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857743566460928/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.