The announcement last Thursday that China would boost its military spending by 10.1% this year stirred much debate internationally.

Some took note of the fact the number marks the slowest growth in the past 5 years. Others continued to speak of China's growing military might in a weary tone.

But just how does the country's military spending compare to that of other countries?

If we look at military spending as a percentage of GDP, China actually lags behind the international average of 2.6 percent. In fact, according to figures released by the world bank, China's neighbors, including India, Vietnam, and South Korea all rank ahead of China in terms of military spending as a percentage of GDP.

Meanwhile, China's per capita defense spending last year was 22 times less than that of the US, one-ninth that of the UK, and a fifth that of Japan. So despite being the world's second biggest military spender, China's per capita military spending remains quite low.

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