China has become the leading supplier of defence arms to Pakistan, accounting for 81 per cent of the country’s total defence imports, according to the SIPRI report 2025. This marks an increase of seven percentage points from the previous five-year period up to 2019, when 74 per cent of Pakistan’s arms imports came from China, as per the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute database. The rise comes at a time when China’s self-reliance in the defence industry has seen a significant surge, particularly in sectors ranging from aircraft carriers to sixth-generation fighter jets. China’s global share of defence exports stood at 5.9 per cent over the five years leading up to 2024. A majority of these arms exports were directed to Pakistan, which accounted for 63 per cent of China’s total defence exports, amounting to a total value of US$5.28 billion during this period. Serbia was China’s second-largest buyer at 6.8 per cent, followed by Thailand at 4.4 per cent. In the same period, Pakistan’s total arms imports increased by 61 per cent. In April last year, China launched the first of eight Hangor II submarines to be delivered to Pakistan under a deal worth approximately US$5 billion—one of the most valuable military contracts China has signed. According to the SIPRI database, some of Pakistan’s key acquisitions in the past five years include its first spy ship, the Rizwan; more than 600 VT-4 battle tanks; and 36 J-10CE 4.5-generation fighter jets. The first delivery of multirole J-10CE fighter jets arrived in Pakistan in 2022, complementing its fleet of JF-17 fighters, which form the backbone of Pakistan’s air force. Between 2020 and 2024, China also supplied Pakistan with various surface-to-air missiles and defence systems, according to SIPRI. These included a long-range HQ-9 system with approximately 70 missiles, around 200 medium-range LY-80s, and roughly 890 low-altitude portable FN-6 missiles. During the same period, Pakistan also received four Type 054A frigates, two Azmat-class corvettes, and 10 CH-4A drones from China.
