The Wing Loong I is a UAV produced by China. Credit: Vitaly V. Kuzmin, Creative Commons The Wire is tracking trends in China data, and this week we explore how China is becoming a bigger player in the arms business.  After China’s violent suppression of pro-democracy protests in June 1989, the United States and European Union imposed arms embargoes and other restrictions on the sales of weapons to China. With a dwindling list of international suppliers, China began developing its own capabilities. Beijing also ramped up its defense spending, which has risen from $21 billion in 1990 to $261.1 billion in 2019.The defense budget was announced as $177.5 billion in March 2019. The $261.1 billion figure is estimated by SIPRI. In global arms sales, the U.S. and Russia are the world’s dominant exporters. But in the past few years, China has gained a substantial foothold. Defense consulting firm Avascent estimates that Chinese firms could compete with the West for $275 bil