China displaced UK to be in the top five arms exporters since the end of the Cold War, according to new data on international arms transfers published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Overall, the volume of international transfers of major conventional weapons grew by 17 per cent between 2003-2007 and 2008-12.
The five largest suppliers of major conventional weapons during the five-year period 2008-12 were the US (30 per cent of global arms exports), Russia (26 per cent), Germany (7 per cent), France (6 per cent) and China (5 per cent).
China's displacement of the UK is the first change in the composition of the top five exporters in 20 years.
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The volume of Chinese exports of major conventional weapons rose by 162 per cent between 2003-2007 and 2008-2012, and its share of the volume of international arms exports increased from 2 to 5 per cent.
"China's rise has been driven primarily by large-scale arms acquisitions by Pakistan," said Dr Paul Holtom, Director of the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme.
In the period 2008-12, Asia and Oceania accounted for almost half (47 per cent) of global imports of major conventional weapons.
The top five importers of major conventional weapons worldwide, India (12 per cent of global imports), China (6 per cent), Pakistan (5 per cent), South Korea (5 per cent), and Singapore (4 per cent), were all in Asia.
Several countries in Asia and Oceania have in recent years ordered or announced plans to acquire long-range strike and support systems that would make them capable of projecting power far beyond their national borders.
Other regional players are seeking to establish or strengthen submarine fleets, including several South East Asian countries and Australia, which is also acquiring large surface warships and combat aircraft.
These developments come at a time of heightening tensions over territorial disputes in the East and South China seas.
Deliveries to European countries fell by 20 per cent between 2003-2007 and 2008-12. European states seem eager to abandon or reduce a range of arms import plans.