China becomes a major arms exporter

The JF-17 Thunder, a warplane built jointly by Pakistan and China, on display at the Aero-nautical Complex Kamra, 46 miles northwest of Islamabad.

China surpasses U.K. as world’s 5th-largest arms exporter

• Selling weapons is not only big business, but it creates dependent "client states" who need spare parts and technical support.

China has ousted the United Kingdom as the world’s fifth-largest arms exporter, mainly because of sales to Pakistan, according to a new report on global weapons sales released.

The report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said Chinese arms exports rose 162 percent between 2008 and 2012, propelling China into the top five arms exporting countries for the first time since the Cold War. This marks the first time that the United Kingdom has not been one of the top five conventional arms exporters since at least 1950, the earliest year covered by SIPRI data.

Pakistan accounted for 55 percent of Chinese arms exports between 2008 and 2012, according to SIPRI. During that time, China’s share of global arms exports rose to 5 percent from 2 percent during 2003 to 2007, boosting the country from eighth to fifth place in the global ranking reports the Washington Post.


Al-Khalid Tank - Pakistan Army - Made Jointly by Pakistan & China 
The designations Al-Khalid (Arabic: The Immortal) and MBT-2000 refer to the Pakistani and Chinese variants of a modern main battle tank developed during the 1990s by China and Pakistan. The Al-Khalid has been in service with the Pakistan Army since 2001, while the MBT-2000 is built and marketed internationally by China and was recently trialed by the Peruvian Army for possible acquisition. Bangladesh Army recently ordered 44 MBT-2000.

SIPRI: China Makes Top 5 Weapon Exporter List



The Bangladesh Navy ordered 3 large
Fast Missile Crafts From China

“Military exports are one way for China to increase its international status,” said Li Hong, secretary general of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association. “China needs to increase its influence in regional affairs, and from that perspective it needs to increase weapons exports further.”

Chinese defense spending is now second only to U.S. military outlays. At current growth rates, Chinese spending could catch up with the United States, which accounts for more than 45 percent of global military spending, by as early as 2025.

For now, however, Chinese exports lag behind other countries with much smaller populations and economies. The U.S share of global conventional arms exports is 30 percent. Russia, meanwhile, accounts for 26 percent, German exports constitute 7 percent and France, 6 percent.
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.The rapid expansion in Beijing’s military budget in recent years and a focus on technological advances have raised the sophistication and competitiveness of Chinese weapons. This allowed China to cut the volume of its weapons imports in half between 2008 and 2012, compared with the 2003 to 2007 period, when it was the world’s largest importer of conventional weapons.
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.From 2008 to 2012, China ranked second behind India, with 69 percent of all Chinese weapons imports originating in Russia. China’s rising influence and military spending have led to growing apprehension in Asia and helped spur large increases in military budgets throughout the region.

India has grown increasingly nervous of China’s rising economic and military power in recent years. Indian leaders say they feel threatened both along the land border between the two — where China claims swaths of Indian territory — and at sea.

Manoj Joshi, an Indian defense commentator, said 70 percent of Chinese arms exports were going to India’s neighbors in south Asia. The second-largest recipient after Pakistan was Burma, which accounted for 8 percent of the total, followed by Bangladesh.

AK-47 assault rifles and other guns for sale in Pakistan, which
is China's biggest market for arms exports.