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India is world's largest arms importer

Last Updated 12 March 2018, 09:53 IST

India remained the world's largest arms importer between 2013 and 2017, accounting for nearly 12% of the global imports whereas its arch-rival Pakistan's military purchase dropped by 36% in the same period.

Setting a new trend, China has emerged as the number one arms supplier to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, by supplying nearly 70% of the arms used by the military in these three nations.

The Communist nation also expanded its arms sale in Algeria, Thailand and Turkmenistan.

India, on the other hand, is nowhere on the list of arms exporting nations.

"China is becoming increasingly capable of producing its own weapons and continues to strengthen its relations with Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar through arms supplies," said Siemon Wezeman, a senior researcher with the SIPRI arms and military expenditure programme.

Russia continues to be India's most trusted strategic ally who supplies major military hardware to New Delhi.

But with New Delhi showing increasingly more affinity to the USA, the import from America rose by a whopping 557% between 2008-12 and 2013-17, said the latest report from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute that keeps an eye on the global arms trade.

Despite its continuing tensions with India and ongoing internal conflicts, Pakistan's weapon imports decreased by 36% between 2008-12 and 2013-17.

The sale from US arms majors, too, reduced by 76% between 2013 and 2017 compared to the previous five-year period.

In the same period, India's imports increased by 24% between 2008-12 and 2013-17.

India is followed by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and China in the list of world's top arms importers.

Pakistan comes at the ninth spot after Australia, Algeria and Iraq.

"The tensions between India, on the one side, and Pakistan and China, on the other, are fuelling India's growing demand for major weapons, which it remains unable to produce itself," said Wezeman.

The Communist nation's arms imports fell by 19% between 2008 and 2012 and 2013-17.

Despite the decrease, it was the world's fifth-largest arms importer in 2013-17.

Russia continues to dominate the Indian arms market, supplying 62% of the hardware that New Delhi imports.

The USA is second on the list with 15% share, while Israel is at the third spot with 11%.

The five big exporters -   USA, Russia, France, Germany and China -together account for 74% of all arms exports in 2013-17.

The flow of arms increased to Asia, while there was a decrease in the flow to Africa, the Americas and Europe between 2008 and 2012 and 2013-17.

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(Published 12 March 2018, 09:46 IST)

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