India vs China: Defence gap widens as Beijing’s $245 billion military budget nears half of India’s national outlay

China has announced a 7.2% increase in its defence budget, bringing the official figure to over $245 billion. However, experts believe the actual expenditure is at least 40-50% higher due to undisclosed allocations. This spending fuels the modernisation of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), strengthening its dominance across land, sea, air, nuclear, space, and cyber domains. Meanwhile, Indias defence budget remains constrained at $79 billion, with only 25% available for military modernisation. The growing gap raises concerns about regional security, particularly as China strengthens military ties with Pakistan.