Bangladesh Eyes China Arms

The Diplomat ^ | June 30, 2011 | By Trefor Moss

[sukhoi-30mki]

Bangladesh Eyes China Arms

June 30, 2011 By Trefor Moss

Bangladesh's military is set to make a big purchase of Chinese tanks. China is happy to oblige in the strategic sale.

China has again underlined its strategic influence in what India might once have considered its own backyard, with the announcement of the latest in a string of arms sales to Bangladesh.

Dhaka is procuring 44 Chinese MBT-2000s main battle tanks, Bangladeshi media have reported, for around $162 million. This represents a significant purchase for a country with a 2011 defence budget of $1.6 billion, and it’s the first time that Bangladesh has obtained newly assembled MBTs. The army currently has an inventory of around 200 older Chinese tanks, which have been upgraded with Beijing’s assistance to keep them in service. One of China’s other key regional allies, Pakistan, also operates the MBT-2000.

China isn’t the sole supplier of military equipment to Dhaka, which has also sourced military technology (most of it second hand) from Italy, Russia, South Korea, the UK and the United States in recent years, while announcing the purchase of two new army helicopters from French firm Eurocopter alongside the MBT purchase. But Beijing has established itself as Bangladesh’s go-to ally when it comes to military procurement, and stands to be the main beneficiary as Bangladesh attempts to refurbish its army, navy and air force in spite of budgetary constraints. China has supplied armoured personnel carriers, fighter aircraft and frigates to Bangladesh within the last couple of years.

Dhaka’s limited defence funds mean that arms sales have more strategic than economic value from China’s perspective. Beijing is already bankrolling the construction of a deep-water port at Sonadia, near Cox’s Bazar, where the Bangladeshi government is

[sukhoi-30mki]

[ponder life]

The US economy is slightly more than twice the size of China. Yet, Chinese international military sales pale in comparison to the US (about 1/6 th the size of the US). So, the Chinese are merely working just to get in the ball park.

And if that argument is palatable; the Chinese economy is about 4 times larger than Russia's (and could be 6 times larger by the end of the decade), yet Russian military sales on the international market is much greater (China's is about 1/4 that of Russia). So, I dunno, seems reasonable to me that China should participate in something other nations already participate in. And not only someday pass Russia, but Europe as well in the global arms export market.

[GenXteacher]

There was a time not long ago when Bangladesh was so poor that buying a single AK would have been a major purchase....wonder what happened there.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks sukhoi-30mki.