ABSTRACT
China's arms assistance has declined during the 1970s and 1980s, while many of its competitors have increased their arms aid to other nations. China's military assistance is also underestimated because much of it has gone unreported, and most of it has been undervalued or has no price tag attached. China has similarly given sizable numbers of weapons to a number of friendly Third World nations that are generally unreported. China's military assistance has also had considerable influence in another realm. The chapter examines China's military assistance in the context of China's world view, its military capabilities, the state of its arms industry, and Beijing's global and regional military strategies. The purposes of China's military assistance can be understood only in the context of examining China's world view, its foreign policy objectives and in some cases its military posture or strategy. The basic obstacle to future progress in weapons production is China's serious weaknesses in advanced technology.
