Did Beijing know?
China is said to have supplied Russia with drones for its invasion of Ukraine
September 28, 2024, 7:17 p.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
It has long been speculated whether China is not only on Russia’s political side, but also supplies the country with weapons for the Ukraine invasion. According to a report, there is now evidence of this. The central question is whether the government in Beijing is involved.
Western officials believe they have evidence that Chinese companies have secretly supplied weapons to Russia. This is reported by the British “Times”. This step could lead to a significant escalation with regard to Beijing’s government. A new report suggests that a Chinese company has sent a number of special military drones to Russia for testing purposes. However, their area of operation will ultimately be Ukraine, reports the Times. The deal reportedly took place in 2023, a Western official explains. However, he does not mention the name of the Chinese company. However, there is now “clear evidence that Chinese companies are supplying Russia with lethal weapons for use in Ukraine.”
“The Chinese government may not admit it, but it will find it difficult to keep its increasing support secret,” the official added. Apparently it is assumed that Beijing was involved in the delivery or at least knew about it.
The Reuters news agency recently reported that Russia is said to have set up a weapons program in China to develop and produce long-range attack drones for use in the war against Ukraine. The official confirmed this report.
Russia is already building drones in China
IEMZ Kupol, a subsidiary of Russian state-owned defense company Almaz-Antey, has developed and flight-tested a new drone model called Garpiya-3 (G3) with the help of domestic specialists in China, according to one of the documents. IEMZ Kupol submitted a report on its work to the Russian Defense Ministry this year. In an updated version of the report, IEMZ Kupol told the Russian Defense Ministry that it is capable of producing drones, including the G3, on a large scale at a factory in China. The weapons could be used in the “special military operation” in Ukraine – that’s what Moscow calls its invasion.
NATO said the two reports were “deeply concerning” and that allies would consult on the matter. “China has become a key enabler of Russia’s war in Ukraine by providing dual-use technologies to support Russia’s defense industry. The Chinese government is responsible for ensuring that its companies do not provide lethal assistance to Russia. China can lead the largest conflict in “We will not continue to inflame Europe since the Second World War without impacting on its interests and reputation,” a NATO spokeswoman added.
Earlier this month, outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that an authoritarian power axis made up of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea would “become increasingly aligned.” He said China supplies the components, microelectronics and microprocessors that Russia uses to build the missiles and bombs used in Ukraine. However, Stoltenberg and Western leaders have so far avoided directly accusing the Chinese government of supplying weapons to Russia.
China prides itself on strict export controls
Fabian Hinz, a research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based think tank, said that if the Chinese government knew about what was happening, it would be a “new level of support for the Russian war effort.” “While the country is known to support Russia with dual-use goods, we have not yet seen evidence of the delivery of entire systems,” the Times quoted Hinz as saying.
IEMZ Kupol and Almaz-Antey did not respond to the allegations outlined by Reuters. A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Britain said they were not aware of the details mentioned. “China exercises strict export control over drones and always strictly controls military and dual-use drones according to the laws and regulations.”
