Every arms exporter loves a good war
On Friday, we saw a familiar bromance in action - Vladimir Putin leading Russia's Victory Day commemorations, with Xi Jinping joining him for the parade in Red Square. This display of Sino-Russian bonhomie - despite sanctions against Russia for launching the Ukraine war, and the ongoing US-China trade war - was telling for one more reason: China provides weaponry to Pakistan, while Russia sells their heavy stuff to India. Ergo, India and Pakistan are fighting each other, while the two Tony Starks laugh their way to the bank.Over the past few decades, the global market for conventional arms has become increasingly export-oriented as new buyers and sellers emerge against the backdrop of rising global defence spending. Traditional exporters like the US, Russia and France are increasingly relying on arms exports to balance their trade with the world. Meanwhile, energy-surplus nations such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Ukraine are driving demand from the buyers' side. New arms-exporting countries like South Korea, Israel and Turkey are leveraging shifting geopolitical alignments to strengthen their market position. Major buyers like India and Pakistan are changing their procurement strategies. New Delhi is focusing on indigenisation and reducing its reliance on Russia, while Islamabad has shifted shop to China. Neither Russia nor China needs defence exports to balance trade. Russia has immense energy exports, while China boasts an enormous manufacturing trade surplus. But both face pushback from European and US consumers, creating an opportunity for export-driven arms markets.This trend is increasingly concerning as conflicts worldwide evolve to involve non-state actors and tech-driven warfare. Rising supply of inexpensive smart weapons contributes to the risks of escalation. Unmanned combat often hides the true cost of conflict, while vulnerabilities grow for interconnected infra, where both state and non-state actors can launch cyberattacks. Anti-globalisation is driving a perverse globalisation of the arms trade. Rise in conflict is, perhaps, an unintended consequence.
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India Today
19 minutes ago
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After general's praise, Pak Army chief Asim Munir invited to US military parade
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First Post
26 minutes ago
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They are used in smartphones, missiles, flat-screen TVs, batteries in electric vehicles, MRI scanners and cancer treatments. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD From the automotive industry to defence, permanent magnets made with rare earth elements (REEs) are essential across sectors. The US military is heavily reliant on rare earths from China. According to a 2025 research note from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank, these materials are used in F-35 fighter jets, lasers, satellites, Tomahawk missiles, Virginia- and Columbia-class nuclear-powered submarines, unmanned aerial vehicles and smart bombs. In April, China imposed export restrictions on seven rare earth elements and magnets amid tensions with the US over Trump's new tariffs. Washington had levied 145 per cent taxes on Chinese imports, with Beijing retaliating with 125 per cent on US goods. 'The United States is already on the back foot when it comes to manufacturing these defence technologies,' Gracelin Baskaran of CSIS said in an interview published by the think tank. 'China is rapidly expanding its munitions production and acquiring advanced weapons systems and equipment at a pace five to six times faster than the United States. While China is preparing with a wartime mindset, the United States continues to operate under peacetime conditions.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The International Energy Agency said China produces 61 per cent of mined rare earths, but controls 92 per cent of the global production output. The US-China trade deal, while yet to be finalised, would come as a relief for American defence companies such as Lockheed Martin — which uses the most samarium in the US – a rare earth metal used in military-grade magnets, according to The Guardian. China entirely controls the supply of this element. 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It also requires companies to secure special export licenses to export the minerals and magnets. Speaking to Indian Express earlier, a senior executive from the Indian car industry said that importers now have to give an undertaking to Chinese suppliers that the rare earth magnets obtained from the Asian giant would only be used in vehicles and not for defence purposes. India's automotive industry could feel the heat of China's export restrictions as these magnets are vital for the production of electric vehicles and various automotive components, including gear mechanisms and drive trains. Saurabh Agarwal, Partner & Automotive Tax Leader, EY India told Times of India (TOI), 'The recent actions by China have significantly disrupted global supply chains, particularly through their increasing export control over critical commodities. This underscores the urgent need for India, and indeed any nation, to foster a self-sustaining economy. 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Time of India
38 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Flying within 45 metres': Japan finds Chinese fighter jets dangerously close to military aircraft; Tokyo raises 'serious concerns'
Photo of Chinese jet for representational purposes. Japan on Thursday conveyed 'serious concerns' after Chinese fighter aircraft approached dangerously close to a Japanese military surveillance aircraft in the Pacific during the previous weekend. This occurrence followed the observation of two Chinese aircraft carriers navigating together in the Pacific for the first time, including within Japan's economic waters. Japan indicated this week that the aircraft carriers' activities - which China described as "routine training" - demonstrated the widening geographical reach of China's military operations. A spokesperson from Japan's defence ministry informed AFP on Thursday that Chinese fighter aircraft had flown "unusually close" to the Japanese patrol aircraft. On Saturday, a Chinese J-15 fighter from the Shandong aircraft carrier tracked a Japanese P-3C patrol aircraft for 40 minutes, followed by two J-15 jets doing the same for 80 minutes on Sunday, according to the spokesperson. "Throughout these extended periods, the jets maintained an unusually close proximity to the P-3C, flying within 45 metres" of the patrol aircraft at identical altitude on both occasions, he stated. On Sunday, the Chinese jets traversed the airspace approximately 900 metres ahead of the Japanese patrol aircraft - a distance coverable by a P-3C within seconds at cruising speed, the spokesperson added. "These irregular approaches risk accidental collisions, hence we have expressed serious concerns" to China and requested prevention of similar incidents, stated a defence ministry release. The statement confirmed no Japanese military personnel sustained injuries. A second defence ministry spokesperson informed AFP that Japan's message was conveyed through diplomatic channels and between defence ministry officials of both countries. A comparable incident was previously reported over a decade ago in May and June 2014, when Chinese Su-27 fighter jets flew within 30 metres of Japan's military aircraft. Daisuke Kawai, who directs the University of Tokyo's economic security and policy innovation programme, told AFP earlier this week that the aircraft carrier movements' timing might correlate with US-China economic tensions. "Beijing calculated that the United States would be less willing or able to respond militarily at this precise moment, seeing it as an opportune time to demonstrate its expanding military capabilities," he said.
