China's real military budget has quietly become almost as big as ours

Americans are too often put at ease by the erroneous statistic that the U.S. spends "more than the next 10 countries combined" on its military. It's time to put a stake in the heart of this tired trope, because it is simply no longer true. A more careful examination shows Beijing's military budget is on par with that the U.S. In the last decade, Beijing's self-reported defense budget has more than doubled. China also now boasts the largest navy in the world, alongside the biggest coast guard and maritime militia. It has the globe's biggest army and sub-strategic missile force…