By Ankit Panda
India, China and Pakistan lead for global arms imports. The Asia-Pacific accounts for 47 percent of all imports.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released its “Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2013 (PDF)” report documenting major arms exports among world nations. It finds that the global market for major weapons grew by 14 percent in the 2009-2013 period compared to the 2004-2008 period. The Asia-Pacific region, including Oceania, led in imports, accounting for 47 percent of all global major weapon imports. More specifically, South Asia accounted for 45 percent of the regional total, East Asia 27 percent, Southeast Asia 23 percent, and Oceania 8 percent.
The report’s ranking of the greatest arms exporters and importers contained few surprises. The top exporters continue to be the United States, Russia, Germany, China and France (in that order). While China is the only Asia-Pacific nation in the top five for exports, APAC makes a strong showing in arms imports with India, China, and Pakistan taking the top three places. India’s share of international imports massively outpaces both China and Pakistan, however.
Read the full story at The Diplomat