Turning to Asia, the top importer in the latest five-year period was India, taking in 8.2% of the global total, trailing only Ukraine. The SIPRI [Stockholm International Peace Research Institute] report says this was ‘driven by its tensions with both China and Pakistan.’ The three Asian nuclear powers have engaged in a number of conventional conflicts, including sporadic clashes on the India-China border and an eruption of India-Pakistan hostilities last May.
Pakistan emerged as the fifth-largest global arms importer, rising from 10th in 2016 to 2020. The country’s imports surged by 66% during the latest five-year period, even though it was mired in the worst financial crisis since splitting off from India and becoming independent in 1947. Eighty percent of Pakistan’s arms imports came from China.
On the flip side, China – the fifth-largest arms exporter worldwide, taking up 5.6% of the global share – sold 61% of its weapons in the last five years to Pakistan alone… Thailand was another key buyer, taking in 4.7%.
China sent 13% of its arms sales to Africa, including Algeria, while 6.5% went to Serbia, one of its closest European partners.
China’s expansion of its own military spending was in the spotlight last week. This year’s annual defense budget is set to grow by 7%, according to a plan submitted to the ongoing National People’s Congress in Beijing. The country’s official defense outlay is due to reach nearly 1.91 trillion yuan ($276 billion), as the growth rate outpaces economic expansion year after year.
https://asia.nikkei.com/politics/defense/fears-over-china-s-intentions-fuel-asian-arms-buildup-sipri