'Europe in Conflict with Russia Sees 19% Increase in Arms Imports from 2017 to 2021'

[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] European countries have emerged as a new hub for arms trade as they have significantly increased their arms imports over the past five years, AFP reported on the 13th (local time).

According to a study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the global arms trade volume from 2017 to 2021 decreased by 4.6% compared to the previous five years, but arms imports by European countries increased by 19% compared to the previous five years. During the same period, Europe accounted for 13% of the global arms trade. This ratio also rose by 3 percentage points from 10% in the previous five years.

This means Europe had already been increasing arms imports even before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Arms imports by European countries are expected to increase further in the future. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Germany announced a significant increase in defense spending. Denmark and Sweden also declared that they would raise defense spending to the level required by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries.

SIPRI researcher Simon Wezeman explained that the increase in arms imports by European countries appeared after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, and since it takes at least two years to plan, order, and produce weapons, the figures are only now becoming apparent. He predicted that Europe’s share will increase significantly in future surveys due to many recent new arms orders and explained, "The deterioration of relations between Europe and Russia has been an important factor in the increase of arms imports by European countries." The countries that imported the most weapons in Europe were the United Kingdom, Norway, and the Netherlands.

Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia, also has its own arms manufacturing facilities but imported many weapons from 2017 to 2021. The country from which Ukraine imported the most weapons was the Czech Republic, accounting for 41% of total imports, followed by the United States with 31%.

Top Countries in Arms Exports [Image Source= Bloomberg]

The region with the highest share of arms imports was Asia-Pacific, accounting for 43% of total imports. Next was the Middle East, which accounted for 32% of total arms imports. The Americas and Africa each accounted for 6% of arms imports. The arms import volumes of the Americas and Africa decreased by 36% and 34%, respectively, compared to the previous five years.

Although the Asia-Pacific region’s overall arms imports decreased by about 5% compared to the previous five years, arms imports in East Asia and Oceania increased by 20% and 59%, respectively.

Researcher Wezeman explained, "The rising tensions between China and other Asia-Oceania countries are a major factor driving the increase in arms imports in the Asia-Pacific region." Taiwan’s arms imports from 2017 to 2021 decreased by 68% compared to the previous five years, but due to recent heightened tensions with China, they are expected to increase significantly in the future.

The countries that imported the most weapons were India and Saudi Arabia, together accounting for 11% of global arms imports. They were followed by Egypt (5.7%), Australia (5.4%), and China (4.8%).

In arms exports, the United States held an overwhelming first place with a 39% share. Meanwhile, Russia, the world’s second-largest arms exporter, saw its share decrease to 19%. This is because arms exports to China have significantly declined as China has nearly completed its arms independence. Following the United States and Russia were France (11%), China (4.6%), and Germany (4.5%).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.