China's widely exported NORINCO VT-4 Main Battle Tank and CASC CH-4B combat drone consistently exhibit deficiencies, with the VT-4 facing thermal and metallurgical defects in Thailand and Nigeria, and CH-4B fleets experiencing crashes and groundings in Jordan, Iraq, and Algeria. These issues, alongside a post-Ukraine resurgence of Russian and American exporters and expanding US sanctions on Chinese military-industrial entities, are complicating Beijing's arms export trajectory.
China's clientele, primarily developing nations like Pakistan, Serbia, Thailand, and Algeria, are showing trends of diversification or indigenization, with Jordan selling off CH-4Bs and Nigeria turning to alternative platforms. Beijing's arms exports are a central pillar of its broader geopolitical strategy, intertwined with initiatives like the Global Security Initiative and Belt and Road Initiative, and directly impact regional security, as seen in Pakistan's use of Chinese weapons against India in May 2025. Despite being the world's fifth-largest arms exporter by 2025, China faces challenges in cultivating deeply intertwined defense ties due to operational failures and serviceability lacunae.
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