
Gazi Abbas Shahid
Starting as a ground reporter back in his home UT of Jammu and Kashmir, Gazi has been a part of the news industry for well over a decade. While he finds every type of news engrossing, politics, partic ... Read More
While its no secret that Pakistan buys a majority of its weapons from its “all-weather ally” China, a recent report has unveiled how deeply the Pakistan Army is dependent of Chinese armaments. According to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China accounts for 81 percent of Pakistan’s arms imports, which has catapulted Beijing as the world’s fourth largest arms exporter.
In its report on global defense between 2020-2024, SIPRI reveals that Pakistan’s weapons imports from China have jumped by a whopping 61 percent between 2015-2019, and are expected to account for a staggering 81 percent of Islamabad’s total arms imports for the 2020-2024 period, up from 74 percent in the previous five-year period.
The report noted that China’s extensive arms exports to Pakistan have strengthened its position as the world’s fourth-largest weapons exporter, accounting for 5.9 percent of global weapons’ exports. However, many nations have apprehensions about purchasing armaments from China’s, primarily due to Beijing’s hegemonic policies, and the current geo-political climate.
While countries across the globe, including India, avoid dependance on a single nation for weapon imports, Pakistan has essentially put all its eggs in one basket, reflecting the helpless situation Islamabad finds itself in. Notably, Pakistan’s arms imports from China have increased by 61 percent between 2020-2024, amid regional tensions with India, Afghanistan and Iran.
Additionally, the Pakistan Army, which is engaged in a frantic race to modernize itself and outmatch its Indian counterpart, is constantly increasing its weapons stockpile, purchasing strategic armaments such as fighter jets, naval ships and missile systems, from Beijing, in an effort to bolster its aerial and maritime capabilities.
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF), has purchased the JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, light multi-role combat aircraft developed in collaboration with China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, and has also inked a deal to purchase the J-35 fifth-generation fighter aircraft from China.
Pakistan is also boosting its naval warfare capabilities by inducting the Chinese-made Type 054A/P frigates in the Pakistan Navy, a move aimed at strengthening its maritime presence in the Arabian Sea and countering India’s naval build-up in the Indian Ocean region.
Meanwhile, the report the states that while most nations have diversified their arms imports, many have reduced it by a significant margin, Pakistan has increased its weapons imports from China in the same period.
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