Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Will China One Day Replace The United States As The World's Top Arms Dealer?

The Inner Mongolia Military Command (MC) of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducts a drill in early October, during which a batch of new equipment are unveiled, including the all-terrain vehicle, Beidou navigation terminals, low-light level night vision devices, etc. With the new equipment, the comprehensive border control ability of the frontier forces will be strengthened greatly. (PLA Daily/Qian Xiaohu and Wang Zhonghui)

Robert Farley, The Diplomat: Can China Replace the United States as the World's Top Arms Dealer?

How China could undercut the dominant U.S. market position in global arms sales.

In his recent tour of East Asia, Donald Trump made a point of touting U.S. arms sales, which bring cash to the United States and jobs to American workers. Trump’s point is straightforward, if not often acknowledged in U.S. policy circles: arms sales not only extend U.S. influence, but also benefit the United States economically. The United States has enjoyed a dominant global position in arms transfers since at least the early 1990s, despite export restrictions that occasionally restrict transfers for political and technological reasons.

U.S. market position depends on two factors; the technological superiority of U.S. equipment, and the political value in establishing a defense relationship with the United States. Historically, China arms export strategy has been built around exploiting the edges of these U.S. advantages. First, China sells military equipment at much lower prices that the United States, which for some types of equipment (and some sellers) is ideal. Second, China will sell to just about any customer.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Maybe one day China will replace the U.S. as the world's top arms dealer .... but I do not see it happening any time soon.

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