Comparative Analysis of the Arms Trade Patterns of U.S. and China using a Gravity Model

Abstract

Despite the political and economic importance of the arms trade, few structural and economic approaches to this topic have been pursued. In this paper, we claim that, because the arms trade is a form of international trade between countries, a general economic model can be applied. This study focused on the international arms trade of the U.S. and China, the two major global arms exporters. We found that the two countries exhibited different patterns in their arms trade. For the U.S., its military alliance network is the main foundation of its trade in weapons, while the arms trade is considered to be more of a typical international trade transaction for China. The growing body of research on the global trading of weapons suggests that further research based on a variety of theoretical perspectives is required for the arms trade. Accordingly, this study can be considered a starting point for the investigation into the role of military alliances as an arms trade channel in the global arms trade market.