The Asian Arms Market: Good News for the US (and Bad News for Russia and China)

The Asian Arms Market: Good News for the US (and Bad News for Russia and China)
A U.S.-made F-16V fighter jet with its armaments is on display during an exercise at a military base in Chiayi, southern Taiwan, on Jan. 15, 2020. Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images
Richard A. Bitzinger
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Commentary
Some of the world’s largest arms buyers are in Asia. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) confirms that Asia (including the Indian subcontinent and Oceania) has remained the world’s single largest arms market for the past several decades.
Richard A. Bitzinger
Richard A. Bitzinger
Author
Richard A. Bitzinger is an independent international security analyst. He was previously a senior fellow with the Military Transformations Program at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore, and he has held jobs in the U.S. government and at various think tanks. His research focuses on security and defense issues relating to the Asia-Pacific region, including the rise of China as a military power, and military modernization and arms proliferation in the region.
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