According to the latest data on global arms transfers released on Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Pakistan ranks among the biggest importers of major arms in Asia and Oceania for the period 2016-20.
As per the survey, Pakistan was also one of the largest recipients of Chinese arms. China, the world’s fifth-largest arms exporter in 2016–20, saw a 7.8% drop in exports between 2011–15 and 2016–20. In the period 2016–20, Chinese arms exports accounted for 5.2 percent of total arms exports.
In the period 2016–20, Asia and Oceania received 42% of global arms transfers. The top importers in the region were India, Australia, China, South Korea, and Pakistan.
“It is too early to tell if the past two decades of rapid growth in weapons transfers are over,” said Pieter D. Wezeman, Senior Researcher with the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Programme.
“For instance, the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic could cause some countries to reconsider their weapons imports in the coming years. Nonetheless, also at the peak of the pandemic in 2020, many countries signed massive contracts for big arms.”
