China weapons exports soar by 88% over past five years: report

PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States and Russia maintain their leading positions in exports of major weapons during the period of 2011-2015, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said Monday, February 22 in a press release, Sputnik News reports.

According to the press release, the United States continues to be the leader in global arms exports in 2011-2015, as it was in 2006-2010, with one-third of global major weapons exports.

U.S. major weapons exports increased by 27 percent within the last five years, compared to 2006-2010.

Russia maintains its second place in the ranking, and its share in global arms exports stands at one-fourth. According to SIPRI, India, China and Vietnam were the main recipients of Russian arms in the past five years.

Another three leading countries in SIPRI's ranking of global weapons exports are China, France and Germany. China's exports of major weapons grew by 88 percent in 2011-2015, compared to the previous period of five years. French exports showed a 9.8-percent decrease, while German exports dropped by 50 percent over the same period.