Integrity is the foundation of everyone, and in the international trade arena, integrity is also the cornerstone of the country's long-term cooperative relationship.
Today, the mainland's military strength ranks among the top three in the world, and arms trade is also one of the areas of the mainland's foreign trade.
As a result, most countries are willing to trade with the mainland.
But the mainland ran into such a country, which kept saying that it wanted to buy 12 MBT-2000 tanks, and "use first, pay later" 5 Chinese tanks to go back to the military parade, but as soon as the parade was completed, it decided to cancel the order.
What's even more outrageous is that it didn't take long for it to fall in love with China's drones again and wanted to repeat its old tricks.
The sources of information in this article have been repeated at the end of the article, and in order to improve the readability of the article, the details may be polished, and are for reference only
In 2009, the streets of Peru's capital were filled with a celebratory atmosphere.
Colorful flags flutter in the wind, and cheerful music can be heard in the streets and alleys.
The South United States nation is making final preparations for the upcoming 188th anniversary celebrations of independence.
As the highlight of the festivities, a grand military parade is about to take place in the square.
Later, five brand-new tanks were unveiled at the parade, attracting the attention of a large audience.
And these tanks came from China, a distant eastern power.
Back a year ago, in 2008, a high-level delegation of the Peru military made a secret visit to China.
During a visit to the Chinese military-industrial complex, they were impressed by the performance of the MBT-2000 tank.
Equipped with an automatic reloading system, this tank is aggressive, has excellent performance, and most importantly, is only about half the price of its Western counterparts.
For the Peru military, which is not well funded, the MBT-2000 is undoubtedly the best option.
In the ensuing negotiations, the Chinese side agreed to Peru's "use now, pay later" request, and first seconded five tanks for Peru to conduct field tests and participate in military parades as a demonstration of sincerity.
In 2009, the parade began smoothly.
The MBT-2000 tank appeared in front of the people, the audience cheered, and the atmosphere was very enthusiastic.
The tank's majestic shape and smooth lines give people a double visual impact of power and speed. The roar of a tank's tracks running over the asphalt seemed to announce its might to the world.
Shortly thereafter, however, Peru's top military brass suddenly questioned the deal and said they would cancel the purchase plan and rely on the payment.
At first, people were confused, but then a series of events let us know the truth behind it.
In 2010, the Morozov Mechanical Design Bureau of Ukraine protested to the international community, accusing China of selling tanks containing Ukraine-made engines without authorization.
In addition, the United States government was keenly aware that China was trying to open the door to the South American arms market through this deal, and immediately launched a series of diplomatic pressures.
The purpose of the secret visit of the United States Secretary of Defense to Peru is self-evident.
In the face of pressure from Western countries, it is already clear how the Peru government will choose.
In the end, they chose a plausible reason for exiting, which was to pour dirty water on China, saying that there were technical problems with the tanks, while canceling the deal on the grounds of insufficient funding.
This decision is like a basin of cold water, which has extinguished the enthusiasm of Chinese military enterprises to open up the South American market.
However, it doesn't end there.
The Chinese side strongly questioned Peru's claims and immediately sent a technical team to Peru to conduct a comprehensive test of the prototype.
The test results showed that there were no problems with the technology and performance of these tanks, which fully met the requirements and did not have any defects.
As a result, China and Peru were locked in a diplomatic tug-of-war over the return of tanks.
The Chinese side insisted that since Peru unilaterally canceled the deal, it should return the sample car immediately.
Peru, on the other hand, delayed for various reasons and did not want to pay, allowing the dispute to drag on for months.
In the end, the transaction is cancelled, and the shipping cost back to China is still borne by us.
Just as the dispute with China had just subsided, the Peru military suddenly announced the purchase of a batch of main battle tanks from Ukraine.
This move is undoubtedly a heavy blow to China, and it has dealt a heavy blow to Peru's international reputation.
As a backsliding act against Peru, China could not bear it and put Peru on the "blacklist" of trade bans.
This decision sends a clear signal that integrity is more important than profit in international arms and trade cooperation.
However, just when people thought that the military cooperation between China and Peru had come to an end, a new opportunity quietly emerged.
In recent years, China has developed rapidly in the field of drone technology, and its products have been exported to 16 countries, and it has a high position in the international market.
In 2012, the Peru military began to show strong interest in Chinese drone technology.
Later, Peru wanted to buy drones from the mainland, but given the experience of previous tanks, the transaction between the two countries left unpleasant memories.
Therefore, when considering the resumption of military-technical cooperation with Peru, special attention is paid to risk assessment and contractual guarantees.
This cautious attitude stems from a deep reflection on the lessons learned.
China is aware that while technological strength is important in the international arms trade market, political mutual trust, the spirit of contract, and the prospect of long-term cooperation are also indispensable.
Therefore, when engaging with Peru on drone technology, China particularly emphasized the need for the two sides to establish a mutual trust mechanism to ensure the sustainability of cooperation.
At the same time, China is also beginning to consider more cooperation models such as technology transfer and local production to better meet the needs of customer countries and reduce possible political risks.
Looking back at this period of ups and downs in the course of arms trade, it is not difficult for us to find the intricate political and economic factors behind the international arms trade.
In this era of globalization, no international cooperation should be seen simply as an isolated business activity.
It is a comprehensive embodiment of the country's image, foreign policy, economic interests, and technological prowess.
Resources
Global Network - "Peru's defense minister revealed that in addition to tanks, more Chinese weapons may be purchased"
Global Network-"Russia says Ukraine obstructs China's Peru tank deal to harm others and not to itself"
Qingdao News Network-"Peru refuses to buy Chinese tanks for unknown reasons and returns all sample vehicles (picture)"
Western Civilization Broadcast - "Peru bought Chinese tanks in 09, the United States and Ukraine intervened and abandoned, and then wanted to buy drones, how did China respond"
Global Network - "Russia says China's sale of Peru MBT-2000 tanks may be blocked by Ukraine"