By Chathushka Perera
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CWBN)_ According to a research paper published by the University of Pennsylvania and Texas A&M University, China has been making proliferating exports of military drone or UAV (Unmanned Ariel Vehicle) between 2011 and 2019, to eleven countries.
The paper noted that the recent increases in military drone operations have been reflective of the volume of Chinese exports over the nine year period and that “non-democratic” and “status-seeking” parties have been partisan to the trade. Non-democracies were also found to over four times more likely “to pursue and acquire armed drones” and prefer to source their supply from other non-democratic parties like China.
The eleven include the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, and Turkmenistan, whereas drones produced in the US have only been sold to France, with respect to its commitments to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).
The MTRC holds that Category 1 systems, which includes drones, are subject to a “strong presumption of denial”.
Moreover, the paper claimed that the drones used by non-democracies were more likely to result in the violation of international law and human rights, which is the case among a majority of the eleven states, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Uzbekistan.
In 2011, just three countries, Israel, US and UK, had access to drone tech. By October this year, about eighteen countries have acquired the tech.
Pakistan’s neighbour and rival, India, has also been reaching out for UAVs and are currently in negotiations with the US under the foundational military support agreements signed by the two parties.
Drones have been a critical instrument to counter insurgency and terrorism, which have deep impacts on global security. In one such escapade that took place earlier this year, the US used an armed drone to assassinate Major General Qasem Soleimani of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, who had strong links to terrorist organisations such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and had been sanctioned by the United Nations and European Union.
Adding to the security concerns posed by the drone exports, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute stated that three companies based in China are among the world’s top ten arms exporters, maintaining a range of focus on sales to countries that border China and to India’s neighbours, such Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.
“A combined 61.3 percent of China’s conventional weapons sales since 2008 have found their way to Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Other Asian countries have purchased an additional 14 percent of Chinese arms.”
Many of the countries surrounding India are economically and politically under China’s thumb owing to growing national level debt to the Communist state and face high interest rates each year that are paid using significant chunks of national GDPs. China also maintains an additional strategic advantage over the region in terms of its Belt and Road Initiative.
Edited by Elishya Perera
