https://www.rusi.org/publications/d...2B0/#.VKFtG14AA

China’s indigenously produced YW-531 APCs featured during the first Gulf War owing to a sale of 650 to Iraq during the 1980s. Since then, a number of countries in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and South America have also purchased Chinese armoured vehicles as part of a wider effort by the Chinese government to diversify its export channels, boost regional relations, and expand its domestic military industrial complex to become less reliant on import of foreign technology. Recent evidence of this trend can be seen in the expansion of Chinese interests in Latin America. Only a decade ago, South American ambassadors openly reported their frustrations in trying to obtain meetings with Chinese ministers of commerce to improve bilateral trade between the region and China. By contrast, President Xi Jinping recently completed a tour of the region opening multi-billion-dollar credit lines to several states. Weapons procurement has significantly featured as part of this shift, with Chinese sales including missiles, radar systems and armoured vehicles – the latter featuring significantly as part of a $500 million deal with Venezuela for an undisclosed number of APCs and IFVs in 2012.