Chinese Arms Sellers Expanded in 2020, Second Only to US

A man walks among supersonic cruise missiles at the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai in southern China's Guangdong province on Sept. 28, 2021. Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images

Five Chinese companies accounted for roughly 13 percent of all arms sales made by the world’s 100 largest arms producers in 2020, according to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The five companies, NORINCO, AVIC, CETC, CASIC, and CSGC, accounted for roughly $66.8 billion last year, a 1.5 percent increase over 2019. All five of the companies are state-owned, and conduct their business on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Each also made it into the top 20 of the list, with three making it to the top 10.