China has ousted the UK as the world’s fifth-largest arms exporter by volume, mainly because of shipments to Pakistan, according to a report.

　　一份报告称，中国已取代英国，成为全球第五大武器出口国，主要原因是中国对巴基斯坦军售数量较大。

　　The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute yesterday said Chinese arms exports rose 162 per cent between 2008 to 2012, propelling China into the top five arms-exporting countries for the first time since the cold war.

　　斯德哥尔摩国际和平研究所(SIPRI)昨日表示，中国武器出口在2008年至2012年期间增长162%，推动中国自冷战以来首次跻身于全球前五大武器出口国之列。

　　Also, it is the first time the UK has not been one of the top five conventional arms exporters since at least 1950, the earliest year covered by Sipri data.

　　同时，这也是至少自1950年(SIPRI数据追踪的最早年份)以来英国首次不在全球五大常规武器出口国之列。

　　Pakistan took 55 per cent of Chinese arms exports between 2008 and 2012, according to Sipri. During that time, China’s share of global arms exports rose to 5 per cent from 2 per cent in 2003-07, taking the country from eighth to fifth place in the rankings.

　　根据SIPRI的数据，2008年至2012年，巴基斯坦是中国55%武器出口的目的地国。在此期间，中国占全球武器出口的份额从2003-07年期间的2%升至5%，排名从第8升至第5。

　　“Military exports are one way for China to increase its international status,” said Li Hong, secretary-general of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association. “China needs to increase its influence in regional affairs and from that perspective it needs to increase weapons exports.”

　　“军品出口是中国增强国际地位的方式之一，”中国军控与裁军协会(CACDA)秘书长黎弘表示。“中国需要在地区事务中提高自己的影响力，从这个视角看，中国需要增加武器出口。”

　　Chinese defence spending is now second only to US military outlays. At current rates, Chinese spending could catch up with the US ? which accounts for more than 45 per cent of global military spending ? as early as 2025.

　　中国军费支出目前仅次于美国。按当前趋势推算，中国军费支出可能最快在2025年就赶上美国(目前美国占全球军费支出逾45%)。

　　For now, however, Chinese exports lag behind other countries with much smaller populations and economies. The US share of global conventional arms exports is 30 per cent. Russia, meanwhile, accounts for 26 per cent, German exports constitute 7 per cent and France accounts for 6 per cent.

　　但就目前而言，中国的武器出口仍少于一些人口和经济规模都小得多的国家。美国占全球常规武器出口的30%，俄罗斯占26%，德国占7%，法国占6%。

　　The rapid expansion in Beijing’s military budget in recent years and a focus on technological advances have raised the sophistication and competitiveness of Chinese weapons.

　　近年中国军事预算的快速扩张，加上对先进技术的专注，都提高了中国造武器的技术含量和竞争力。

　　This allowed China to cut the volume of its weapons imports in half in 2008-12 compared with 2003-07, when it was the largest importer of conventional weapons.

　　这使中国在2008-12年期间的武器进口量与2003-07年期间相比减少一半。2003-07年期间中国是全球最大的常规武器进口国。

　　In 2008-12, China ranked second behind India, with 69 per cent of all Chinese weapons imports originating in Russia.

　　2008-12年期间，中国在武器进口量方面排在印度后面，位列第2，中国进口的武器中69%来自俄罗斯。

　　India accounted for 12 per cent of all conventional arms imports in the period.

　　同期印度占全球常规武器进口的12%。