At $228 bn, China's defence spend 3 times more than India's: Union Minister

China spent that amount in 2017, whereas India spent close to $64 bn, Union Minister Subhash Bhamre told Lok Sabha

China's expenditure on the military was three times more than India last year, but the share of its defence spending in GDP was less than India's, Union Minister Subhash Bhamre said on Wednesday.

While no official data relating to China's annual defence budget is available, as per the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) database, China's military expenditure was $2,28,230 million in 2017 while that of India stood at $63,923 million that year, Bhamre said in the Lok Sabha.

In 2016, China spent $2,16,031 million and India's defence spending was $56,637 million in that year, he said during Question Hour.

In 2017, India has spent 2.5 per cent of its GDP on the military, while China has spent 1.9 per cent of the GDP, the minister of state for defence said.

The government's spending on military in India was 9.1 per cent in 2017, China's spending was 6.1 per cent, he said.