NEW DELHI – It is not Pakistan’s army amone but the China-Pakistan axisthat has become the worry for Indian military. The good relationshipbetween China and Pakistan is not a new development, but what is new isthat India’s relations with China has reached a new low in the past twoyears, India today has reported.
For the first time since 1970s, India is seriously worried over thepossibility of armed conflict with China. The Modi government’s signing ofthe Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) with the US,boycotting of China’s Belt and Road Forum (BRF) meeting and whimsicaldecision for an unnecessary standoff at Doklam have not only made China anopen enemy, but have also given incentives to Beijing to not bond furtherwith Islamabad as well as other key neighbors of India.
With achieving rapid economic development, China has not only become almostself-sufficient in producing its own weapons, but also according to theSIPRI data, it has become world’s fifth-largest arms exporter.
Its arms export has increased by 38 per cent in the past five yearscompared to the previous period. Moreover, to add to India’svulnerabilities, the major importers of Chinese arms are countries inIndia’s neighborhood.
India’s Army chief General Bipin Rawat is not someone who usually praisesChina. However, while speaking at a function in Delhi on March 13, heapplauded Beijing’s approach of simultaneously enhancing its militaryprowess with its rapid economic growth.
His argument was India should take same approach and increase its militaryexpenditure to provide an enabling environment for the economic growth.
The vice chief of Army Staff has also told a parliamentary panel that thisyear’s Budget allocation is inadequate for the basic needs of the armedforces. It is understandable when the Army asks for more resources,however, when General Rawat makes comparisons with China he should knowthat while China spends for its military 1.9 per cent of its gross domesticproducts (GDP), India spends 2.5 per cent of its GDP.
India’s military expenditure of 2.5 per cent of the GDP is also higher thanthe global average, which is equivalent to 2.2 per cent of the global GDP.
General Rawat only sees that Indialink>spendson military $55 billion while China spends $225 billion. However, heignores that fact that India’s GDP is US 2.2 trillion and China’s GDP hasreached to $11.2 trillion.
While India’s Army generals are complaining about the Budget allocated toits military, the highly reputed Stockholm International Peace ResearchInstitute (SIPRI) has released the latest data on the volume ofinternational transfers of major weapons.
According to SIPRI data, India was the largest importer of major arms inthe past five years, single-handedly buying 12 per cent of the global total.
India’s arms import has increased 24 per cent in the past five yearscompared with previous five years. American manufactures are the majorbeneficiaries of this increased arms import. In the past five years,India’s arms imports from the US has increased more than five times. WhileIndia’s arms import has increased substantially, the arms imports ofPakistan, with whom India has fought most of its wars since independence,has decreased by 36 per cent. So, why does the Indian Army still complainover the allocated Budget to the military?
In spite of a powerful section of the Indian media always highlighting thecountry’s slow and tedious process to buy arms from foreign manufacturers,India has been the largest arms purchaser in the world not only for thepast five years, but also from the beginning of this century.
Since 2000, according to SIPRI data, India has brought arms worth $46.8billion compared with China’s $35 billion. Pakistan’s buying of any foreignmilitary hardware becomes a sensational news in India. However, since 2000,Pakistan’s total purchase of arms from foreign market is only $14.4billion.