Special Report
How China's Largest Weapons Manufacturer Compares to US Arms Corps.
Published:
This article was written with the assistance of A.I. technology, and has been edited and fact-checked by Melly Alazraki.
China North Industries Group Corporation Limited, also known as NORINCO, is one of the largest weapons manufacturers in the world and the largest in China based on 2021 arms sales. The company is based in Beijing and mostly supplies weapons to the Chinese military.
NORINCO’s arms sales totaled $21.57 billion in 2021, making up approximately 26% of the company’s annual revenue, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Arms Industry Database. This figure represents a 10.7% increase from the company’s previous year’s arms sale, adjusted for inflation.
Some of the most notable weapons and services NORINCO supplies include the QBZ-191 assault rifle, the PF-98 anti-tank rocket launcher, and the Type 69 Main Battle Tank.
China’s military buildup is the largest of any country since World War II. In the last decade, China’s defense spending has increased by 90%. This expansion of the Chinese arsenal has caused concern among other nations, including the United States. Still, China’s defense spending of $270 billion in 2021 was considerably less than half that of the U.S.
Despite China’s arms expansion, U.S. arms companies remain the largest in the world. All of the Chinese companies in the top 100 for arms sales, had total sales of about $101 billion in 2021. To compare, all of the U.S. arms companies in the top 100 had total sales of about $300 billion. And while NORINCO had arms sales of over $21 billion, Lockheed Martin, the largest U.S. arms manufacturer, had arms sales of over $60 billion in 2021.
While NORINCO may not be as large as some of the U.S. arms companies, it is still a major player in the global weapons market. The company’s continued growth is likely to contribute to China’s military expansion in the years to come.
Click here for a list of the largest Chinese weapons manufacturers.
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