(AP)
China has bypassed Britain as the world’s fifth largest arms exporter.
A Swedish think tank says the volume of Chinese weapons exports rose by 162 percent from 2008-2012, compared to the previous five-year period.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says the largest buyer of Chinese weapons has been Pakistan, which accounts for 55 percent of the country’s exports, followed by Myanmar and Bangladesh.
hina defended its rules on overseas weapons sales Monday following the release of a report ranking the country fifth in global arms exports.
All Chinese arms sales to foreign countries must adhere strictly to domestic laws as well as U.N. guidelines and other international rules, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a regularly scheduled news conference.
Such sales have to be justified by the legitimate needs of the recipient and must not harm peace, security or stability, either within the country or in the region or world, Hong said.
“China always takes a responsible and cautious attitude toward arms exports,” Hong said.
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