In another report published on Monday, Tactical Report said Egypt was in talks with China to acquire the Chengdu J-10C multirole fighter.
To further talks started late last year, a delegation from the Egyptian Air Force is expected to meet representatives from the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group on the sidelines of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition in Malaysia this week.
During the meeting, the Chinese company will reveal the latest improvements on the J-10C, including its advanced electronic warfare system and active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, as Egypt is said to be eyeing 12 of the fighter jets, the report said, quoting anonymous sources.
While the United States remains the world’s top weapons exporter, analysts said China had emerged as an alternative supplier because it offered affordable advanced weapons without political strings attached.
“China is willing to sell hi-tech weapons equipment to friendly nations without political terms, which I think is the main appeal to the Middle East,” said Song Zhongping, a former People’s Liberation Army (PLA) instructor.
As the world’s biggest defence spender, Saudi Arabia has sourced weapons from a variety of countries, though mostly from the US.
Chinese media reported last year that Saudi Arabia bought US$4 billion worth of weapons from China – much more than their previous arms deals – after the Zhuhai air show in November.
“Financing the deal with the Chinese yuan could help eliminate the influence of the US dollar, preventing the US from using the currency as a tool for suppression and restriction,” Song said.
According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the five largest arms exporters in 2018-22 were the United States, Russia, France, China and Germany. Together they supplied 76 per cent of the world’s arms exports.
During the five-year period, the US supplied 40 per cent of global arms exports, with the main recipients being Saudi Arabia, Japan and Australia. China accounted for 5.2 per cent of global weapons exports, with Pakistan, Bangladesh and Serbia as the top recipients.
Egypt, which is in the midst of a maritime dispute in the eastern Mediterranean with neighbouring Libya, was ranked sixth by share of global arms imports for 2018-22 after India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia and China.
Egypt has mainly sourced arms from Russia, France and Germany, but it is looking to China as the war in Ukraine has restricted Moscow’s ability to manufacture military hardware for clients, according to analysts.
Additional reporting by Laura Zhou
