According to NATO’s own estimate, China had the second-largest global defense budget in 2018.

In March, China set its 2019 defense spending at 7.5% higher than a year ago, raising spending to 1.19 trillion yuan ($177.61 billion), according to known figures.

NATO, the 29-member military alliance, was set up 70 years ago to counter the threat posed by the-then Soviet Union...