Russian Arms Sales to China and Disruption of Military Power in East and Southeast Asia, 2000-2013

Abstract

Abstract Russian arms sales to China have brought about security concerns from China’s neighbours. From 2000 to 2013, Russia sold more arms to India than to China. However, China’s neighbours and policymakers assert that China’s arms purchased from Russia have disrupted the balance of military power in East and Southeast Asia. The purpose of this study were to explore how the quality of arms plays a major role than the quantity of arms in the theory of military balance of power. A mixed method of descriptive statistics and comparative case study were used to determine the findings. The key finding of this thesis is that Russian arms sales to China from 2000 to 2013 have not disrupted the balance of military power in Asia.