China exporting arms follows principle of non-interference in internal affairs of importing countries - Foreign Ministry
Such a statement on Monday in Beijing was made by the Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei in response to the request of journalists to comment on the latest report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on the situation in the global arms market from 2008 to 2012.
According to the report by SIPRI, the five largest suppliers of arms and military equipment first have been joined by China surpassing the United Kingdom. For five years the volume of Chinese arms exports increased by 162%. According to the military experts, the rise of China is due to a major acquisition of weapons by Pakistan.
In the ranking of SIPRI in the export of weapons and military equipment the first place belongs to the U.S. (30%), followed by Russia (26%), Germany (7%), France (6%) and China (5%).
About 47% of global imports of major conventional weapons refers to the countries of Asia and Oceania, the report reads.
According to the Chinese diplomat China follows three principles while exporting arms. First, the supply of arms is made for defense, and secondly, it should not harm the peace, security and stability in the region and the world, and thirdly, there should be no interference in the internal affairs of another country.
At the last annual session in Beijing the deputies of the Chinese parliament approved the draft budget for 2013, which provides for an increase in defense spending by 10.7%, that makes 720.168 billion yuan. The budget allocated funds will be used to improve the living conditions of the military, mechanization and informatization of the Chinese army.
In recent years China has been increasing its military cooperation with Central Asian countries both bilaterally and in the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.