By Zarak Khan | 2025-12-22

China's drive to become a global arms supplier is being tested by weapon failures abroad and corruption purges at home. From a cracked tank barrel in Thailand to grounded fighter jets in Burma, the physical evidence of these failures is mounting.

This technical instability, combined with leadership purges within the People's Liberation Army (PLA), is raising fresh doubts about Beijing's ability to translate its global ambitions into reliable military power.

Together, these trends point to systemic weaknesses within China's defense-industrial base and military governance and call into question the sustainability of its rapid military modernization drive.

Exporting defective weapons

Militaries in several countries that rely on Chinese weapon systems have reported recurring technical problems that fuel concerns over Beijing's credibility as a long-term defense supplier.

Most recently, Thailand's army launched an investigation into damage sustained by a VT-4 main battle tank after its gun barrel reportedly cracked during sustained firing on December 13, amid border tensions with Cambodia, according to Thairath, a Thai newspaper.

The VT-4 is an export variant of a tank produced by China North Industries Group Corp. (Norinco), a state-owned defense conglomerate that has aggressively marketed its platforms across Southeast Asia as cheaper alternatives to Western arms.

Similar problems have cropped up across South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has faced operational challenges with a Chinese-supplied laser-based Skyshield counter-drone system, which has struggled to function effectively in the Saudi desert, according to the Defense Post in September.

Burma grounded its Chinese-manufactured JF-17 Thunder fighter jets in 2022 after discovering cracked airframes and ineffective radar systems.

The Bangladeshi navy in recent years found defects in two Chinese frigates, while the Bangladeshi air force had recurrent problems with Chinese F-7 fighter jets and K-8W trainer aircraft, including inaccurate radars, New Delhi's Sunday Guardian reported in February.

Before 2020, Nigeria experienced several F-7 fighter crashes. In November 2020, the Chinese agreed to repair Nigeria's nine remaining F-7s.

But another one crashed in July 2023.

Pakistan stress test

Pakistan remains China's top defense client, having received 81% of its imported weapons from China during 2020 to 2024, according to a March report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

However, the brief conflict with India in May exposed significant vulnerabilities in this strategic partnership.

India's strikes hit multiple military sites inside Pakistan, indicating that its missiles broke through Pakistani air defenses equipped with Chinese surface-to-air systems, CNN said in May.

"If Chinese-origin radar or missile systems failed to detect or deter Indian strikes, that's (also) bad optics for Beijing's arms export credibility," Sajjan Gohel, international security director at the London-based Asia-Pacific Foundation, told CNN.

Pakistan's naval capabilities have been affected too.

The Pakistani navy's four Chinese-built F-22P frigates suffered from engine degradation and unreliable sensors, significantly hindering operations across the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, Italian think tank Geopolitica.info reported in 2022.

Declining exports

China's arms exports are showing signs of decline despite Beijing's efforts to expand market share.

Many of the world's largest weapon importers continue to avoid purchasing major Chinese systems for fear of being sanctioned by the United States.

In 2024, the 39 US arms makers in the world's top 100 sold $334 billion worth of arms, up 3.8% from 2023, according to SIPRI.

The eight Chinese firms in the top 100 suffered a 10% revenue decline from 2023, selling $88.3 billion worth.

Almost two-thirds of Chinese arms exports went to one country, Pakistan, between 2020 and 2024, SIPRI reported.

Military purge fallout

The slowdown in China's arms exports reflects deep-seated turmoil within the PLA, where a series of leadership purges has crippled the country's defense procurement and oversight.

President Xi Jinping's regime, which began in 2012, has been characterized by the mass purge of senior military leaders, framed as an anti-corruption campaign but serving primarily to consolidate Xi's authority.

In October, the Chinese Communist Party expelled nine generals over corruption charges, including He Weidong, the country's second-highest-ranking general.

Earlier, in June, Chinese authorities removed several other senior military figures, including Miao Hua, an admiral who headed the political work department of the Central Military Commission.

SIPRI has linked this persistent turmoil to the performance of China's arms industry.

"A host of corruption allegations in Chinese arms procurement led to major arms contracts being postponed or cancelled in 2024," Nan Tian, director of SIPRI's Military Expenditure and Arms Production Program, told Reuters on December 1.

"This deepens uncertainty around the status of China's military modernization efforts and when new capabilities will materialize," he added.