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.

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.

Meanwhile, it is estimated that China, which ranks behind the U.S., allocated $296 billion to its military in 2023. This marked the 29th consecutive year-on-year increase in the Chinese defense expenditure, which accounts for half of total military spending in Asia and Oceania.

What People Are Saying

Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said: “The U.S. government is in heavy debt, yet it keeps pouring ill-gotten wealth exploited from other countries into manufacturing weapons.”

President Donald Trump said: “We have to be strong because you’ve got a lot of bad forces out there now. So we’re going to be approving a budget and I’m proud to say actually, the biggest one we’ve ever done for the military.”

Nan Tian, senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s Military Expenditure and Arms Production Program, said: “The unprecedented rise in military spending is a direct response to the global deterioration in peace and security.”

What Happens Next

It is likely that the U.S. and China will increase their defense spending, as both countries are involved in a tussle for influence within and beyond the contested Indo-Pacific region.