Home
News
In Focus
Business
Metro
Nation
World
Sports
Feature
Opinion
View more »Opinion Columns
Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
Restaurants get off to a quick start thanks to game-changing policies
High service charges on event ticket refunds call for further regulation
Sunday
- Subscribe
Related News
US 'leads globe in foreign arms sales'
Source: Agencies |
September 8, 2009, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE United States accounted for more than two-thirds of foreign weapons sales in 2008, a year in which global sales were at a three-year low, The New York Times reported.
Citing a congressional study released last Friday, the Times said on Sunday that the US was involved in 68.4 percent of the global sales of arms.
US weapons sales jumped nearly 50 percent in 2008 despite the global economic recession to US$37.8 billion from US$25.4 billion the year before.
The leap defied worldwide trends as global arms sales fell 7.6 percent to US$55.2 billion in 2008, the report said.
Global weapons agreements were at their lowest level since 2005.
Italy, the second ranked country, amassed only US$3.7 billion in arms sales, while Russia ranked third with sales falling to US$3.5 billion in 2008, down from US$10.8 billion in 2007.
The report attributed the increase in US sales to "major new orders from clients in the Near East and in Asia" as well as to continued contracts for equipment and support services with globally based US clients, the newspaper said.
The US also led in arms sales to the developing world, signing 70.1 percent of these weapons agreements at a value of US$29.6 billion in 2008, according to the report.
Deals with the developing world included a US$6.5 billion air defense system for the United Arab Emirates and a US$2.1 billion jet fighter for Morocco.
India, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Korea and Brazil also reached weapons deals with the US, the report said.
The report revealed the UAE was the top buyer of arms in the developing world.
Citing a congressional study released last Friday, the Times said on Sunday that the US was involved in 68.4 percent of the global sales of arms.
US weapons sales jumped nearly 50 percent in 2008 despite the global economic recession to US$37.8 billion from US$25.4 billion the year before.
The leap defied worldwide trends as global arms sales fell 7.6 percent to US$55.2 billion in 2008, the report said.
Global weapons agreements were at their lowest level since 2005.
Italy, the second ranked country, amassed only US$3.7 billion in arms sales, while Russia ranked third with sales falling to US$3.5 billion in 2008, down from US$10.8 billion in 2007.
The report attributed the increase in US sales to "major new orders from clients in the Near East and in Asia" as well as to continued contracts for equipment and support services with globally based US clients, the newspaper said.
The US also led in arms sales to the developing world, signing 70.1 percent of these weapons agreements at a value of US$29.6 billion in 2008, according to the report.
Deals with the developing world included a US$6.5 billion air defense system for the United Arab Emirates and a US$2.1 billion jet fighter for Morocco.
India, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Korea and Brazil also reached weapons deals with the US, the report said.
The report revealed the UAE was the top buyer of arms in the developing world.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
