New Delhi: With the US having cut off arms supplies to Pakistan in the wake of the changed geopolitical situation in Afghanistan, cash-strapped Islamabad has been increasingly leaning on China in recent years to fill the gap.
According to data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China was the largest supplier of military hardware to Pakistan, accounting for as much as 81 per cent of the country’s total imports, followed by the Netherlands at 5.5 per cent and Turkey at 3.8 per cent.
Turkey is also emerging as a close ally of Pakistan. Turkish President Erdogan expressed solidarity with Pakistan amid rising tensions with India following Operation Sindoor.
China sees Pakistan as an important cog in its geopolitical strategy to counterbalance India and secure access to the Arabian Sea through the Gwadar port. Pakistan, which was earlier dependent on US aid for its survival amid a stagnant economy, is now leaning on China for economic and military support.
China offers low-interest financing and flexible payment terms to Pakistan, which helps it get military hardware despite its economy being on the verge of collapse.
The total arms imports from China between 2019 and 2023 alone were valued at $5.28 billion, which accounted for 63 per cent of Pakistan’s total arms imports, according to SIPRI data.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is part of the Belt and Road Initiative through which Pakistan is receiving funding from China. Valued at around $60 billion, the project also involves protecting Chinese investments and personnel in the project areas.
Pakistan has been getting defence hardware from China that ranges from fighter jets for the air force to submarines and frigates for the country’s navy and artillery guns for the Pakistan Army.
The JF-17 Thunder fighter jet is a flagship project of China-Pakistan military cooperation. The JF-17 is currently a mainstay of the Pakistan Air Force after the US stopped supplying its F-16s.
Production of the jets started in 2007, and deliveries are ongoing, with each delivery introducing upgraded modern variants. The total value of the JF-17 jet programme over the years is estimated to be $2–3 billion.
In 2015, Pakistan ordered eight Type-041 Yuan-class conventional submarines from China, four of which were to be built in China, and four to be made under license in Pakistan at Karachi Shipyard. Delivery schedule for these submarines runs from 2022 to 2028, with the deal valued at $5 billion.
Pakistan has also got Chinese SH-15 155mm self-propelled artillery guns for deployment to the Indian border.
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