China leads region in military self-sufficiency, with others far behind, report says
- China produced 92 per cent of the weapons it procured between 2016 and 2020
- Four Chinese arms industry companies were ranked in the top 10 in the world
China has the highest level of self-sufficiency in weapons production in the Indo-Pacific region, with second-placed Japan not even close, according to a research report released this month.
Military commentator Song Zhongping said China’s high level of self-reliance in arms production was the result of historical lessons, and would ensure the supply and repair of equipment in any war.
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“Globally, apart from China, there are only the US, Russia and France doing well in weapons self-reliance,” he said. “And China might be able to score even higher than the US, which heavily relies on its allies to supply some key weapons parts.”
Amid rising Indo-Pacific tensions, the report – “Arms-Production Capabilities in the Indo-Pacific Region: Measuring Self-reliance” – assessed 12 cases in the region, excluding the United States. It concluded that “China dominates the ranking”, with its score more than two and a half times higher than Japan’s.
The report scored the countries on three key factors between 2016 and 2020: the proportion of imported weaponry, including licensed production, compared to domestically produced weapons; their major arms companies; and their development of unmanned maritime vehicles as an example of emerging military technologies.