Chinese companies sent 1,000 rifles and other military equipment to Russian defense organizations, according to trade and customs data obtained by the US news website Politico.
Military equipment — which, in addition to weapons, includes parts for drones and bulletproof vests — was transported between June and December last year, proving that China is sending military equipment to Russia, despite Beijing’s statements that it is not providing aid to the Russian armed forces.
China North Industries — one of China’s largest state-owned military equipment companies — sent the 1,000 CQ-A rifles (modeled after the popular U.S. military model M16, but labeled “civilian hunting weapons”) to a Russian company, Tekhkrim, which also does business with the Russian state and the Russian military.
While the data does not prove that Beijing is selling massive amounts of arms to Moscow specifically to aid its war effort in Ukraine, Documents seen by Politico show that China is supplying Russian companies with equipment for “dual use” (commercial use and military use).
This is the case of DJI – the world’s leading company in the construction of ‘drones’ – which sent parts for its devices (such as video cameras and batteries) to Russian organizations via the United Arab Emirates.
Western analysts have vehemently expressed concern that these dual-use items could be used by Russia to equip troops in Ukraine, shifting the course of the conflict in Moscow’s favour.
According to the collected commercial and customs data, to In addition to weapons from China North Industries, Russian organizations also received 12 shipments of parts for drones from Chinese companies and 12 tons of armored vehicles via Turkey at the end of last year.
The documents also show that a Russian state defense company, Rosoboronexport, imported “microchips” from China and that Moscow also gained access to bulletproof vests from China’s Xinxing Guangzhou.
Confirmation of these shipments comes as North American and European leaders warn Beijing of the risks of supporting Russia’s military effort in Ukraine.
There is no evidence that Russia is using the CQ-A rifles in a military setting, namely in Ukraine – and the Russian company that received them, Tekhkrim, has refused to respond to questions from Politico journalists – but Ukrainian authorities say that they have seen DJI ‘drones’ on the battlefield.
The situation proves the difficulties Western countries face in imposing sanctions on Russia, which appears to be succeeding in overcoming the difficulties encountered in accessing technological equipment for its war machine.
When asked about this data by Politico, the Chinese embassy in Washington limited itself to issuing a statement saying that Beijing is “determined to promote peace negotiations” in Ukraine.
Source: DN
