China Edges Out U.K. As World's Fifth-Largest Arms Supplier
The U.S. still leads the world in one area – arms sales. But even there, China is closing the gap.
Made in China weapons have moved into the No. 5 slot, displacing U.K.-manufactured arms, but the Asian giant still trails far behind the U.S. and Russia, whose weapons account for 30 percent and 26 percent of the market, respectively, according to a new report released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute on Monday.
China's biggest customer? Pakistan. It made up 55 percent of Beijing's arms exports between 2008 and 2012, the Institute says.
"China is establishing itself as a significant arms supplier to a growing number of important recipient states," Paul Holtom, director of the SIPRI Arms Transfers Program, said in a statement.
The Institute says:
The volume of Chinese exports of major conventional weapons rose by 162 per cent between 2003–2007 and 2008–2012, and its share of the volume of international arms exports increased from 2 to 5 percent.