Chinese weapons reaching 'near-parity' with West: report

London

CHINA is beginning to export its own weapon designs, including armed drones, worldwide and is reaching "near-parity" with the West in terms of military technology, according to a report on Tuesday.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said that China's official defence budget of US$145 billion last year was 1.8 times higher than those of South Korea and Japan combined. It also accounted for more than a third of Asia's total military spending in 2016, the IISS annual Military Balance report said, adding that spending in Asia grew by five to six percentage points a year between 2012 and 2016.