Led by China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND), nine arms trade companies are participating in the 16th International Defense Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi starting February 20, 2023 under the brand of "China Defense." Photo: Courtesy of SASTIND

Top Chinese arms trade companies brought a record collection of items to a major international defense expo in the UAE that kicked off in Abu Dhabi on Monday, providing advanced products in all fields including land, sea, air, space, electronics and cyberspace. Analysts said that the Chinese defense industry is back on the international market in full force after the country optimized its COVID-19 response.

Led by China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND), nine arms trade companies are participating in the 16th International Defense Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi under the brand of "China Defense," displaying China's advanced capabilities in national defense technology and providing solutions to safeguarding global peace and stability, the administration said in a press release sent to the Global Times.

As one of the largest national delegations at the IDEX, the Chinese group has broken records in terms of the scale, the scope and the number of exhibits. It is displaying nearly 500 types of equipment covering the traditional security fields of land, sea, air, space and electronics, as well as newly developing fields like cyberspace, intelligence, drones and anti-drones.

It also marks the first time Chinese arms firms have participated in a major foreign defense expo since the country loosened foreign travel restrictions this year as the pandemic subsided, observers said.

By participating in the expo, China showed that the pandemic has had no negative impact on its arms industry, and it can produce and deliver weapons and equipment that the international market requires without any problem, Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert, told the Global Times on Monday.

Dozens of products made their first foreign appearances, including the LY-80B air defense system and the Mountain Cat 2000 all-terrain mobile combined arms battalion, said the SASTIND.

Multiple types of air, ship and land drones as well as anti-drone systems, the FD-2000 air defense system, the FC-31 stealth fighter jet, the VT-4 main battle tank, the AR3 multiple launch rocket system, and electronic warfare and command and control systems are on display.

"The security environment in the Middle East is very complicated, with many countries having a need to comprehensively enhance their combat capabilities. In the meantime, many countries in the region do not have complete defense industries of their own, so they require importing advanced equipment including fighter jets, tactical missiles, warships, tanks and armored vehicles," Wei said.

Chinese arms firms can provide whole systems of weapons and equipment with excellent performances and cost efficiency, making Chinese products very attractive, the expert said.

Chinese defense companies will join more defense expos around the world, analysts said.

The IDEX has been held every alternate year since 1993, and it has become one of the largest and most influential international defense expos in the world. 

This year it attracted more than 1,350 companies from around 65 countries and regions, according to the expo's website.