China among top five arms exporters, India top buyer
19 March 2013 5:50 AM IST
China has become the world’s fifth largest exporter of major conventional arms buoyed by Pakistan’s growing import from its communist ally, even as India emerged as the leading buyer of weapons, a Swedish think tank said on Monday.
China displaced UK to be in the top five arms exporters since the end of the Cold War, according to new data on international arms transfers published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Overall, the volume of international transfers of major conventional weapons grew by 17 per cent between 2003-07 and 2008-12.
The five largest suppliers of major conventional weapons during the five-year period 2008-12 were the US (30 per cent of global arms exports), Russia (26 per cent), Germany (7 per cent), France (6 per cent) and China (5 per cent). This is the first time that the UK has not been in the top five since at least 1950, the earliest year covered by SIPRI data.
China’s displacement of the UK is the first change in the composition of the top five exporters in 20 years.
The top five importers of major conventional weapons worldwide, India (12 per cent of global imports), China (6 per cent), Pakistan (5 per cent), South Korea (5 per cent), and Singapore (4 per cent), all Asians.
CHINESE MILITARY PLEDGES FULL SUPPORT TO XI JINPING
The Chinese military today pledged its full support to new President Xi Jinping’s call to realise the ‘Chinese Dream’, vowing to build strong armed forces to safeguard national sovereignty.
‘In order to realise the 'Chinese dream', the entire military should fully understand the significance of national defense and army building and actively shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding national sovereignty and security,’ according to a circular from the General Political Department of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the world’s largest standing armed force consisting 2.3 million personnel.
It urged the army to earnestly learn and implement the spirit of the first session of the 12th National People’s Congress and a keynote speech delivered by Xi at the closing meeting of the country’s legislature on Sunday.
‘We must bring benefits to the people,’ Xi said.
China displaced UK to be in the top five arms exporters since the end of the Cold War, according to new data on international arms transfers published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Overall, the volume of international transfers of major conventional weapons grew by 17 per cent between 2003-07 and 2008-12.
The five largest suppliers of major conventional weapons during the five-year period 2008-12 were the US (30 per cent of global arms exports), Russia (26 per cent), Germany (7 per cent), France (6 per cent) and China (5 per cent). This is the first time that the UK has not been in the top five since at least 1950, the earliest year covered by SIPRI data.
China’s displacement of the UK is the first change in the composition of the top five exporters in 20 years.
The top five importers of major conventional weapons worldwide, India (12 per cent of global imports), China (6 per cent), Pakistan (5 per cent), South Korea (5 per cent), and Singapore (4 per cent), all Asians.
CHINESE MILITARY PLEDGES FULL SUPPORT TO XI JINPING
The Chinese military today pledged its full support to new President Xi Jinping’s call to realise the ‘Chinese Dream’, vowing to build strong armed forces to safeguard national sovereignty.
‘In order to realise the 'Chinese dream', the entire military should fully understand the significance of national defense and army building and actively shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding national sovereignty and security,’ according to a circular from the General Political Department of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the world’s largest standing armed force consisting 2.3 million personnel.
It urged the army to earnestly learn and implement the spirit of the first session of the 12th National People’s Congress and a keynote speech delivered by Xi at the closing meeting of the country’s legislature on Sunday.
‘We must bring benefits to the people,’ Xi said.
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