Pakistan\u2019s defence landscape has undergone a significant transformation over the past 15 years. China has emerged as the dominant arms supplier to Pakistan, accounting for a staggering 81% of Pakistan\u2019s total arms imports during 2020\u20132024. This sharp rise marks a growing strategic and military alignment between the two nations.<\/p>\n
\nPakistan’s increasing reliance on Chinese arms signals its deepening defence and diplomatic ties with Beijing.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
This shift has come at the cost of traditional partners. The United States, once a major arms exporter to Pakistan, has seen its influence decline dramatically. Between 2009 and 2014, the US accounted for 30% of Pakistan\u2019s arms imports. However, it is no longer among the top three suppliers in the 2020\u201324 period. Italy, too, has lost ground, making way for countries like Turkey and the Netherlands, which are now playing a more prominent role in Pakistan\u2019s arms procurement.<\/p>\n
Turkey and China: Strategic Partners in the Making<\/h2>\n
Turkey, in particular, has grown closer to Pakistan on both diplomatic and military fronts. Turkey has now become the third-largest arms exporter to Pakistan, showcasing a strategic partnership that has evolved beyond just defence trade. Notably, Turkey and Azerbaijan were among the few nations that voiced support for Pakistan after India\u2019s Operation Sindoor, which targeted terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).<\/p>\n
\nThis growing alliance is not one-sided \u2014 Pakistan has also emerged as a key market for Turkish exports, accounting for over 10% of Turkey\u2019s total arms exports between 2014 and 2024.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Meanwhile, China\u2019s defence trade relationship with Pakistan has only grown stronger. Between 2009 and 2014, Pakistan accounted for 41% of China\u2019s total arms exports. That figure rose significantly to 63% in the 2020\u201324 period, further cementing China\u2019s role as Pakistan\u2019s most critical military partner.<\/p>\n
Pakistan Among Top 5 Global Arms Importers<\/h3>\n
In terms of global standing, Pakistan was the fifth-largest arms importer in the world during 2020\u201324. Its share of global arms imports rose to 4.6%, up from 2.8% in the 2015\u201319 period. This surge reflects Pakistan\u2019s continued investment in defence capabilities amid regional tensions and shifting alliances.<\/p>\n
\nPakistan continues to outspend many nations on defence, allocating 2.8% of its GDP to military spending \u2014 significantly higher than the 1.8% average for low-middle-income countries.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Key Takeaways:<\/h3>\n
\n
- \n
China supplied 81% of Pakistan\u2019s arms imports between 2020\u201324.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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The US, once a key supplier, is no longer in Pakistan\u2019s Top 3 arms partners.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Turkey has emerged as a major defence partner and exporter to Pakistan.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Pakistan was the world\u2019s fifth-largest arms importer in 2020\u201324.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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The country spends 2.8% of its GDP on defence \u2014 higher than most developing nations.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
With China and Turkey becoming key strategic allies, Pakistan\u2019s military partnerships are clearly pivoting eastward. This evolving geopolitical equation is expected to shape the regional balance of power in the years to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pakistan\u2019s defence landscape has undergone a significant transformation over the past 15 years. China has emerged as the dominant arms supplier to Pakistan, accounting for a staggering 81% of Pakistan\u2019s total arms imports during 2020\u20132024. This sharp rise marks a growing strategic and military alignment between the two nations. Pakistan’s increasing reliance on Chinese arms […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1366],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[1329],"class_list":{"0":"post-8249","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world-news"}," _eael_post_view_count":0,"authors":[{"term_id":1329,"user_id":2,"is_guest":0,"slug":"snehagandhi","display_name":"Sneha Gandhi","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/trending.niftytrader.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Sneha-Gandhi.jpeg","url2x":"https:\/\/trending.niftytrader.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Sneha-Gandhi.jpeg"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8249"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8251,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8249\/revisions\/8251"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8249"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=8249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}