China pips Germany as world's third largest arms exporter

Beijing

CHINA has surpassed Germany to become the world's third largest arms exporter, a Stockholm-based think tank said in a report on Monday.

Exports of major arms from the world's second largest economy grew 143 per cent over the years 2010 to 2014, versus the previous five-year period, when China had ranked ninth globally, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) said in a report. "Asian countries continue to expand their military capabilities, with an emphasis on maritime assets," Siemon Wezeman, senior researcher with the Sipri Arms and Military Expenditure Programme, said in a news release.