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| China's Wing Loong UACV (File Photo) |
The competition for geopolitical and economic dominance in the Asia-Pacific region, especially the struggle between Beijing and Tokyo over the Diaoyutai islands (Senkaku to Japan, Diaoyu to China) in the East China Sea, centers on the role of drones.
According to a Business Insider report published on June 22, the market for military drones will reach US$8.2 trillion by 2022, yet the biggest buyer will no longer be the US, but rather China and Russia.
In the past decade, the US military's appetite for stealth and surveillance has greatly stimulated the development of drones. With US withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, however, orders from the US are rapidly shrinking, said the report.
Read the full story at Want China Times