According to a recent report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China has cut its arms imports by 72% compared to the previous five years, indicating a significant move towards military self-reliance. This drop has led China to fall to 21st place in the global arms import ranking, marking the first time since 1991-1995 that it has been excluded from the top ten arms importing countries. SIPRI attributes this reduction to China's increasing emphasis on developing weapons with domestic technology instead of relying on foreign purchases, particularly from major suppliers like Russia.

Moreover, while still reliant on Russia for about 66% of its arms imports, China's focus on domestic production has been bolstered by a decrease in Russian export capacity following the Ukraine war, as Russia prioritizes domestic military production. The trend reflects a broader decline in arms imports across the Asia-Oceania region, with the overall arms import volume dropping by 20% during the same period. Specifically, South Korea and Australia have also seen substantial decreases of 54% and 39%, respectively, largely attributed to China's substantial import reduction.

Despite reducing imports, China continues to invest heavily in military modernization, planning to increase its defense budget by 7% to 1.909 trillion yuan (approximately 411 trillion won) this year. This marks the fifth consecutive year of maintaining an increase at around 7%. Chinese military officials have emphasized the importance of establishing a robust foundation for defense and military modernization as part of the country's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), amidst rising arms imports from neighboring countries like Japan and Taiwan, which increased by 76% and 54% respectively during the same timeframe.