Despite this decline, Russia remained Beijing's top foreign supplier, accounting for over 75% of China's total purchases during that span. Beijing's shopping list is now highly specialized:
: China ordered roughly 270 Su-27 and Su-30 fighters from Russia. china buy russian weapon
: To counter U.S. naval dominance after the 1995–1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis, China bought Sovremenny-class destroyers and Kilo-class diesel submarines. Despite this decline, Russia remained Beijing's top foreign
Russia and China Military Cooperation: Just Short of an Alliance Despite this decline
As China's own military-industrial complex matured, its overall arms imports dropped drastically. According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) , China's arms imports fell by 44% between 2019 and 2023 as it replaced foreign tech with indigenous weapons.
The Chinese was famously derived from the Russian Su-27.