According to reports from Russian media, Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, visited the China Airshow in Zhuhai on Thursday, November 14th. At the same time, Russia agreed for the first time to sell its Su-57 stealth fighter jets to foreign customers at this airshow.
Despite being isolated by Western countries and their allies due to the invasion of Ukraine, Russia maintains a close relationship with China. Shoigu, the former Russian Defense Minister, visited the Zhuhai Airshow on the final day of the event.
According to the official website of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shoigu visited China from November 11th to 15th to attend the 19th annual strategic security consultation between China and Russia and the 9th meeting of the China-Russia law enforcement security cooperation mechanism.
During his dialogue with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing, Shoigu claimed that China and Russia need to address the “dual containment policy” towards Russia and China by the United States and its allies.
In addition, Moscow also sold stealth fighter jets for the first time at the Zhuhai Airshow.
On Wednesday, November 13th, Tass, a Russian news agency, cited Alexander Mikheyev, CEO of the Russian state-owned defense product export company, Rosoboronexport, stating that a contract was signed at the Zhuhai Airshow this week for the delivery of the first batch of export versions of the Su-57 fighter jets to foreign customers.
Mikheyev mentioned that the partners from “friendly countries” wish to purchase “reliable and verified” weapons from Russia to support their industries, enabling them to develop and create new products for the next 10 to 20 years.
The report did not specify which countries have purchased Russia’s stealth fighter jets.
According to reports, the commercial aviation exhibition area at this airshow is much smaller than in previous years, with a focus on military technology. The J-35A stealth fighter jet, publicly unveiled for the first time, has been touted by China as having the “world’s best stealth performance.” Experts point out that Chinese military aircraft have long been criticized for plagiarism, security vulnerabilities, as well as corruption and infighting within the producing companies.
In March of this year, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released data showing that China is the world’s fourth-largest arms exporter, but over the past decade, with changing geopolitical dynamics, China’s arms export sales have been declining.