<p>➀ The U.S. and China accounted for nearly half of global military spending in 2024, with the U.S. spending $997 billion (37% of the total) and China $314 billion (12%), marking China's largest annual increase (7%) since 2015;</p><p>➁ China's spending surge aligns with its goal to modernize its military by 2035, including establishing aerospace and cyberspace forces, while Taiwan increased its budget by 1.8% to $16.5 billion for U.S. weapons and domestic systems;</p><p>➂ Other top spenders include Russia ($5.5 billion), Germany, India ($86.1 billion), Japan ($55.3 billion), and South Korea ($47.6 billion), reflecting global militarization trends.</p>