TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Amid upheavals in a number of Asian regions, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reported on Monday that the world's arms imports between 2009 and 2013 increased by 14 percent or higher than the previous period. Of ten world's major arms importers, five were Asian countries, including India, China, South Korea, and Singapore.

In Asia, India became the leading country in arms imports. In five years, its imports increased to 14 percent of the world's arms imports, which doubled from seven percent in 2004 to 2008. Based on the percentage, India's imports were triple as large as China and Pakistan.

"Chinese, Russian and US arms supplies to South Asia are driven by both political and economic considerations," Siemon Wezeman, Senior Researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfer Program, said in a press release on Monday.

In addition to India, arms imports by Gulf States increased by 23 percent from 2004 to 2008 until 2009 to 2013. According to SIPRI, the US had signed a number of agreements to maintain its domination in arms exports to the Gulf states.

"In 2013, for the first time, the USA allowed the sale of long-range air launched cruise missiles to Gulf states," said Pieter Wezeman, Senior Researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfers Program in SIPRI's press release.

While arms imports were dominated by Asian countries, the largest arms exporter in the world was the US. In between 2009 and 2013, its market share reached 29 percent, or declined by one percent from the previous period. Russia had 27 percent of the market share, followed by Germany with eight percent and China with six percent.

SIPRI | TIMES OF INDIA