China will make another effort to sell its military products in the region at the Dubai Airshow, writes defense analyst Wendell Minnick in Defense News. While the Gulf market is attractive, China´s companies did not make many inroads yet.
Wendell Minnick:
China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corp. (CATIC) will feature both a stand (820) and chalet (A41/42) at the show. Controlled by the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), CATIC serves as AVIC’s agent for its products, which have been finding some acceptance in the Middle East and Africa.
But when it comes to promoting advanced defense products, China faces challenges in trying to sell to the Middle East, said Richard Bitzinger, a military transformation specialist at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
“I don’t think countries in the region yet trust Chinese weaponry, and price tends not to be a major factor in decision-making,” Bitzinger said.
Items like fighter jets and helicopters are just too complicated, he said, and few countries will want to “take a chance on Chinese products, when it comes to performance and quality.”
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