CSB News USA

CSB News USA · 3:31 PM

The evolution of China’s global defence strategy began not with a promise of quality, but with a promise of access. Historically, Beijing targeted "frontier markets"- nations in South Asia, Africa and Southeast Asia, that were either under Western sanctions or lacked the capital for high-end European or American hardware

The evolution of China’s global defence strategy began not with a promise of quality, but with a promise of access. Historically, Beijing targeted "frontier markets"- nations in South Asia, Africa and Southeast Asia, that were either under Western sanctions or lacked the capital for high-end European or American hardware. Between 2000 and 2020, China successfully branded itself as the "democratizer" of military technology. By offering simplified versions of Soviet-era designs at 40% to 50% less than Western equivalents, they secured massive contracts. However, history shows this was a calculated entry point. These deals were rarely about defence; they were about creating an entry for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Beijing utilized state-backed credit lines to lure developing nations into massive procurement programs, often bypassing standard transparency protocols. The "history" of Chinese arms is in reality, a history of selling obsolete or untested technology under the guise of South-South cooperation. A Global Trail of Hardware Failure and Strategic Deception In the present day, the "Chinese discount" has turned into a…

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