According to a report by Directus, China's arms exports have experienced a significant decline due to issues related to poor quality and inconsistent performance, which have raised concerns among buyer countries. Over the past decade, China's arms exports have dropped by nearly a quarter.

Additionally, China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has been grappling with problems related to low-quality weapons. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reported a 7.8% decrease in China's arms shipments between 2016 and 2020 compared to the previous five-year period. As a result, China's global market share has shrunk from 5.6% to 5.2%.

While initially attracting customers with competitive pricing and financing options, Chinese military equipment began to face challenges when it failed to meet performance expectations. Cindy Zheng, a researcher at the RAND Corporation, highlighted that hidden costs emerge when Chinese gear malfunctions, particularly when there are issues with technological compatibility.

China currently supplies weapons to more than 53 nations, with a focus on markets not typically served by major arms suppliers like the United States and France. Major importers of Chinese armaments include countries like Pakistan, Myanmar, and Bangladesh, as well as various nations in Africa and the Middle East.

Professor Alexander Vuving, from the Daniel K Inouye Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies, has emphasized the significance of addressing the issues surrounding Chinese military equipment.

"China-made weapons are not just technologically inferior, they also remain untested on the battlefield," he said.

Myanmar has expressed serious concerns regarding the low accuracy of radar systems in the Chinese jets it had purchased. These concerns have led to the grounding of a significant portion of the Chinese jets, which were acquired at a substantial cost. Astonishingly, even four years after their delivery, these Chinese-made jets required extensive repairs, as reported by Directus.

Nigeria also faced maintenance challenges with Chinese equipment, particularly with seven out of nine Chengdu F-7 fighters. These issues prompted Nigeria to send the aircraft back to China for necessary repairs.

Even Pakistan, a steadfast ally of China, experienced technical difficulties with Chinese-manufactured navy warships, specifically the F-22P frigates. These issues ranged from engine degradation to faulty sensors and a missile system that struggled to lock onto its target, as highlighted in the Directus report.

Collin Koh, a maritime security analyst based in Singapore, emphasized the concerns of importing countries regarding the lack of combat testing for most Chinese hardware. Another significant challenge stems from potential political tensions with China when integrating non-Chinese systems. This adds complexity to the already intricate issues surrounding Chinese military equipment, according to reports.

"Many countries acquiring Chinese military equipment for the first time are finding that certification standards are lower than in the West, where there are standards of excellence shared by NATO countries, which endorse the certification of technologies," said Andrei Serbin, a geopolitical intelligence expert and director of the Argentine think tank CRIES.

Image source: TOI