The United States (US) has imposed sanctions on two China-based drone suppliers and their alleged Russian partners for supplying complete weapons systems to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
According to CNN, the US has long accused China of supporting Russia’s war effort by supplying dual-use goods and components that could be used in the manufacture of weapons, which Beijing denies.
However, the US Treasury Department accused the Chinese firms of direct involvement in arms supplies to Moscow in an announcement Thursday.
The statement said the Chinese companies had collaborated with Russian defence firms in the production of Moscow’s “Garpiya series” long-range unmanned aerial vehicles.
It said the drones were designed, developed, and made in China before being sent to Russia for use on the battlefield.
The statement read, “The Garpiya has been deployed by Russia in its brutal war against Ukraine, destroying critical infrastructure and causing mass casualties.
“While the United States previously imposed sanctions on (Chinese) entities providing critical inputs to Russia’s military-industrial base, these are the first U.S. sanctions imposed on (Chinese) entities directly developing and producing complete weapons systems in partnership with Russian firms.”
The US accused the other sanctioned Chinese company, Redlepus Vector Industry Shenzhen Co., of working with a Russian defence firm to facilitate the shipment of the drones to Russia.
The Treasury Department said Redlepus had also sent shipments to Russia of components that can be used in drones, including aircraft engines, parts of automatic data processing machines, and electrical components through Russian defense firm TSK Vektor.
The US also imposed punitive measures on the owner of TSK Vektor, a Russian national, and another company he owns. The US previously sanctioned TSK Vektor last December for helping Russia to acquire attack drones.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Thursday, “We have seen for some time Chinese companies providing components to Russian companies that Russian companies then use to turn into machinery, weapons, other components that Russia could use in its war.
“This was the first time we actually saw a Chinese company manufacturing a weapon itself that then was used on the battlefield by Russia.”
Beijing has previously denied supplying weaponry to Russia and maintains it keeps strict controls on such goods.
The Chinese embassy in Washington denied the latest accusations and said China was handling the export of military products responsibly, according to Reuters.
Chinese embassy spokesperson, Liu Pengyu said, “The U.S. makes false accusations against China’s normal trade with Russia, just as it continues to pour unprecedented military aid into Ukraine.
“This is (the) typical double standard, and extremely hypocritical and irresponsible.”
China’s support for Russia as the Kremlin wages war in Ukraine has become a key point of tension between Washington and Beijing as they seek to stabilize rocky relations.
Beijing has claimed neutrality in the more than two-and-a-half-year-long conflict even as it has deepened political, economic, and military ties with Moscow. China has become Russia’s top trade partner, offering a crucial lifeline to its heavily sanctioned economy, and the two nuclear-armed neighbours have ramped up joint military exercises in recent months.
In the latest sign of their deepening alignment, Chinese and Russian defence officials vowed to strengthen their cooperation during meetings in Beijing last week.
