India remains world’s largest arms importer

India continues to remain the world’s largest arms importer, accounting for 14% of the global arms imports in the 2011-2015 time-frame.

It was revealed by report on international arms transfers released by a global think-tank, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Key Points

Top arms importers are: India (14%), China (4.7%), Australia (3.6%), Pakistan (3.3%), Vietnam (2.9%) and South Korea (2.6%).

India’s arms imports: It remains three times greater than those of its rivals Pakistan and China.

Its biggest suppliers are Russia, United States (US), Israel and France. This indicates India’s failure to build a strong domestic defence-industrial base (DIB) and Indian arms industry has failed to produce competitive indigenously-designed weapons.

India has spent over 120 billion dollars on arms acquisitions over the last 15 years most of them from foreign suppliers.

China’s scenario:

Earlier China used to be top on the imports chart but in past few decades it has gradually built a stronger DIB.

China has emerged as the world’s third largest arms exporter after United States and Russia.

Pakistan is the main recipient of Chinese arms exports accounting for 35% of the total imports followed by Bangladesh (20%) and Myanmar (16%).

Russia is China’s largest arms supplier accounting for 59% followed by France (15%) and Ukraine (14%).

Current Affairs 23rd February, 2016
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