India World’s Largest Arms Buyer

India’s weapons imports have overtaken China’s, the Associate Press reports, citing a Swedish think tank.

With domestic production (and procurement) in disarray — as I wrote this January — the country is spending furiously to try to counter China's military might and regional influence.

According to the report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, India accounted for 9 percent of all international arms imports in the period from 2006 to 2010, and it is expected to keep the top spot for the foreseeable future, the Post reports. It also notes that China's drop — to 6 percent — partly stemmed from an uptick in its domestic arms production, which India has not been able to match.

India’s defense budget for the coming year is 1.5 trillion rupees ($32.5 billion), a 40 percent increase from two years before. It imports more than 70 percent of its arms, the paper said.