A “milestone.” That was the term used in January by the Chinese press to describe the sale to Pakistan of the fifth-generation stealth fighter plane the FC-31.

Developed by the state-owned Aviation industry corporation of China (Avic), the jet is a single-seat, twin-engine aircraft, comparable in characteristics-“if not superior,” say the Chinese-to the infamous F-35, products of U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin. Not only does stealth technology enable the aircraft to detect opponents earlier and launch surprise attacks. According to Wei Dongxu, a military expert quoted by the South China morning post, the FC-31s can carry a wide selection of munitions, up to two air-to-surface missiles or three air-to-air missiles, as well as several laser-guided bombs.

The purchase lengthens Islamabad's shopping list and consolidates China's position among global arms exporters. This is confirmed by the latest report by the Stockholm international peace research institute (Sipri), according to which, China sold arms to 40 states in 2019-23: with a 5.8 percent share of global exports, the Asian giant has once again taken fourth place in the world rankings, although the volume of sales is slightly lower than in the previous five-year period.

The top buyer is precisely Pakistan, which alone absorbed 61 percent of Chinese exports, followed by Bangladesh (11 percent) and Thailand (6 percent). The figure is particularly visible in sub-Saharan Africa. Here, during the period under review, China achieved a 19 percent share of arms imports, surpassing - albeit slightly - Russia, which was stationary at 17 percent. Numbers that make the People's Republic the new number one supplier, although Moscow still holds the record on the continent, if North Africa (24%) is added to the account. A trend that, in addition to being driven by the search for profits, seems partly driven by the need to arm and stabilize the countries where China has invested most heavily. It is no coincidence that the latest deals include supplies of military equipment to Zimbabwe, which is rich in lithium mines.

According to Sipri, over the past five years, India, Pakistan, Japan, Australia, and South Korea have ranked among the top ten importers on a global scale. The top spot for global arms imports is held by New Delhi, which, perpetually facing the risk of conflict with Islamabad and Beijing, has increased spending to 9.8 percent of the total on a global scale, up from 9.1 percent in the previous five years. At least in part, again the China factor seems to justify the sustained growth in the arsenal of Japan and South Korea: the two Asian countries increased their share of military purchases by +155% and +6.5%, respectively. Accomplice is the North Korean threat.

It doesn't take too much imagination to figure out who they have been sourcing from: the United States-which pulls the strings of regional alliances-has been the main source of weapons for both Asian countries. With 17 percent growth, Washington has reached 42 percent of global sales: as many as 107 states have obtained U.S. equipment between 2019 and 2023. In January, Tokyo pledged to purchase 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles with counterattack capability in enemy territory. Under the terms of the agreement, the Rising Sun will incur an outlay of about 254 billion yen ($1.6 billion), for the missiles and related equipment, over a three-year period starting in fiscal year 2025