Rivalry between China and India has flared up in recent weeks. Last week, Chinese and Indian forces engaged each other in the Galwan Valley area of Ladakh, resulting in the death of soldiers of both nuclear armed ‘big brothers of the region’. The two states have increased military expenditure over the last years and decades, however, China has outgrown India and spent almost four times as much in 2019. 

Nonetheless, despite the fact that China spends considerably more in absolute numbers, its expenditure as percentage of its GDP is actually smaller than India’s. Although both rivalry and expenditures are on the rise, an all out war is currently not expected.