Lol, do I have to answer that question. Singapore is TINY, so needs to be able to have a disproportionate amount of force for its size. Otherwise it would be swatted away. On the other hand, China is so large it doesn't need to spend 5% of GDP on defence to stop an invading power.
In term of defense Singapore is not a small country She has budget of 7 billion US dollar easily dwarf the combine budget of Indonesia(1.5 Billion),Malaysia(2 Billion)and Thailand(1.5 Billion)
Even if Singapore is not threated by anyone She perceived a threat simply by being predominantly Chinese state in the mids sea of rising fanatical islam So is the rational for the huge defense spending
Perceiption matter a lot You say Japan doesn't harbour ill feeling toward China but the matter is Japan create the perception that she gang up with US in trying to contain or strangle China(expended security arrangement, and effort to build missile defense and irresponsible statement of politician and military men)
China now probably has the largest defence budget in the region (excluding the US, which isn't an Asian state) - even SIPRI's projections would support that.
No Japan has the highest defense spending in Asia. Whether US is an Asian state or not is irrelevant,the fact is US station large defense forces in Asia with their bases in Okinawa, Yokosuka, and other bases in Japan. Not only that she maintain huge naval fleet in the form of 7th fleet
1% of GDP. I'll say it again - 1% of GDP. Given Japan had to worry about Russia, North Korea and China during the Cold War, I don't think that was disproportionate spending. Now, of course, it still has North Korea there causing trouble and China as a rising power.
Hmm let see Japan was stagnate for the last 10 years assuming that her economy stay the same 1% out of 3.5 Trillion economy is 35 billion dollar(total 35X12=420 billion). Assuming that japan grow 3% over the previous 10 years and let say average her economy is 2 trillion dolaar 1% of it is 20 billion a year. That is total spending of 200 billion dollar over 10 years
So over 20 years total 620 billion dollar
Now let do the same with China. In the year before 2000 China economy is less than 500 billion so even if she lie and spend 2% of GDP that will make it 10 billion or over 10 years the total is 100 billion
Fast forward let average China economy as 1.5 trillion over the next 10 year let say she spend 1.5% of GDP to military budget that will amount to 20 billion/year or over 10 year is 200 billion Total spending is 300 billion
Well that is almost half what Japan spend on the military expenditure over 20 years. No wonder that Japan can afford 46 modern DDG and FFG and China has only half the amount
Would you bank on another country saving your bacon when the going got tough? Besides the Americans would not be able to help Japan if its defence forces were rolled over by an aggressor because someone decided that 1% of GDP was "too much" for Japan to spend. :coffee:
China has no reason to attack Japan unless Japan get involve in Taiwan dispute
one would wonder with 700 something posts here, you should have at least learned or at least assimilate part of chinese culture or reasoning behind certain things that are done by china, but boy, ignorance can really take you far. i'm no expert myself, so just enjoying my time here reading these information and insights, but i learnt one important lesson, don't bother with anything that fumanchu writes. 