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rick · 6/3/2025, 11:48:15 PM · permalink

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By Ryan Chan

China News Reporter

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China said on Wednesday that "wanton use of force will not make America great again" as President Donald Trump declared a record high $1 trillion defense budget.

Newsweek has reached out to the White House and the Pentagon for comment by email.

Why It Matters

Trump announced on April 7 that his administration would approve the largest expenditure "we've ever done for the military," which his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, called the first trillion-dollar defense budget, rebuilding the U.S. military on lethality and readiness.

This comes after China, which is viewed by the Pentagon as the "pacing threat" and "pacing challenge" to America's security and power, announced in March that it will spend around $250 billion on its military buildup, an increase of 7.2 percent for a third consecutive year.

What To Know

When asked about the Pentagon's trillion-dollar defense budget, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang claimed that what he called the "bellicose nature" of the U.S., as well as its belief in "might makes right," were exposed by this "sky-high" defense budget.

The Chinese spokesperson also urged Washington to "break away from the obsession with hegemony at an early date" and to recognize that "wanton use of force" will inflict what he described as "painful disasters" upon both Americans and people of the rest of the world.

Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth

President Donald Trump delivers remarks alongside Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on April 10, 2025. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The increase in the defense budget comes after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) instructed the military to propose an 8 percent annual budget cut over the next five years. The Pentagon is reportedly planning to reduce 50,000 to 60,000 civilian workers.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the U.S. is the world's largest defense spender, as it allocated $916 billion in 2023, representing 68 percent of total NATO military spending and accounting for 37 percent of total global military expenditure.

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