China's NPC Unveils 15th Five-Year Plan; Defense Budget Grows 7.2%

China's National People's Congress presented the 15th Five-Year Plan covering policies through 2030, with defense spending growing 7.2% — the largest increase in five years. The NPC session took place March 5-12 against the backdrop of the Iran war, which Beijing has leveraged diplomatically: FM Wang Yi stated that killing a sovereign state's leader during negotiations 'violates international law and basic norms of international relations.'