New Evidence Shows Chinese Local Governments Directly Procuring and Supplying Battlefield Drones for Russia
Recent evidence indicates that local Chinese government entities are directly involved in purchasing and supplying battlefield drones to Russia. China has always maintained that it does not directly provide weapons to either side of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and strictly controls the export of dual-use military products.
The Guangdong Province semi-official organization, the Guangdong Province-Russia Trade Promotion Association, established in 2023, recently posted a notice on its WeChat public account regarding the “Notification of Foreign Companies Purchasing Drone Equipment.”
The organization stated that buyers are interested in items such as “sensors, jamming devices, drone detectors (products named BoriTone, AsselLabs, Bulat) or other similar technological products, drone suppressors, communication frequency jammers, jamming devices.”
The Bulat drone detector is developed by a company named 3mx in St. Petersburg.
3mx stated last month that the product has been “long used by Russian frontline fighters in Ukraine” and can “promptly detect and identify enemy drones.”
The Guangdong Province-Russia Trade Promotion Association operates under the Guangdong Provincial Department of Commerce. Its responsibilities include supporting global trade initiatives, facilitating connections with Russian procurement companies, interpreting economic and trade policies, and providing legal consultations related to Russia.
Some media on the Chinese mainland claimed, “Russia’s most desired cooperation, China (CCP) has finally given Putin a nod. According to the announcement, China has officially sold drone equipment to Russia.”
“In fact, judging by the military technology and industrial capabilities currently possessed by China (CCP), there are many ways for China (CCP) to support Russia. This includes some forms of support that could impact the battlefield but do not fall under ‘lethal assistance’,” the media wrote.
The procurement notice from the Guangdong Province-Russia Trade Promotion Association was issued on May 22 and was later deleted after sparking widespread attention and reposting.
The UK’s Financial Times reached out to the association, and a staff member stated that the announcement was “inaccurate, so we retracted it.”
Regarding the detailed requirements for purchasing drone detectors as described in the notice, the individual mentioned that the Russian buyers were actually looking for “children’s toys” and then hung up the phone.
Ukrainian President Zelensky, during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Sunday (June 2), stated that Beijing is pressuring other countries and their leaders to prevent them from participating in the upcoming Ukraine Security Summit in Switzerland.
He also unusually mentioned that Ukrainian intelligence agencies have found evidence of Russian weapons containing Chinese components.
Zelensky warned that Beijing’s support for Russia would prolong the war, which is detrimental to the world and even to China, claiming to support sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“It is regrettable that Russia is leveraging China’s (CCP) influence in the region, using Chinese diplomats to disrupt the peace summit by all means. China, as an independent and powerful nation, has become a tool in the hands of Russian President Putin, which is truly unfortunate,” he said.
Since the 1990s, Ukrainian military enterprises and talents have assisted the CCP in developing its military capabilities, with projects including the Liaoning aircraft carrier, large ship engines, aerial refueling aircraft, carrier-based fighter jets, missiles, some even providing design blueprints and expert technical support, showing a close economic and trade relationship between the two sides.
Even though Europe and the United States have publicly criticized the CCP for covertly supporting Russia and aiding Putin in evading Western sanctions, Zelensky has largely kept silent on this matter.
Earlier that day, Chinese defense minister Dong Jun did not specifically mention the Switzerland peace summit during his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, but he stated that China does not provide weapons to either side of the Ukraine crisis while controlling the export of dual-use goods.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Monday (June 3) avoided Zelensky’s criticism. She stated that since the Russia-Ukraine conflict, China and Ukraine have maintained communication and cooperation, with China remaining Ukraine’s largest trading partner, and the CCP Embassy in Ukraine operating as usual.
Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war over two years ago, CCP leader Xi Jinping has met with Putin four times, but Xi has never met with Zelensky, only having a phone call arranged with him in April 2023.
The United States has repeatedly expressed hope that China would cease providing supplies to the Russian defense industry, as it is seen as a crucial method to sustain Putin’s war machine.
Before the release of this procurement notice, the United States and Europe expressed concerns about China selling dual-use military products to Moscow.
Last month, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on two Chinese groups, Wuhan Global Sensing Technology Co., Ltd. and Wuhan Unity Technology Co., Ltd. U.S. officials had revealed that these companies were assisting Russia militarily.
The U.S. Treasury also targeted the Shenzhen-based Jianghai Aviation Company, which produces drone-related equipment such as propellers, signal jammers, sensors, and engines.
China holds a dominant position in the global drone supply chain, with DJI Innovations, headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, being the largest commercial drone manufacturer by shipment volume.
In May, the U.S. Treasury expressed concerns about China selling dual-use military products to Moscow, emphasizing the need for Beijing to make a clear choice between doing business within the U.S. economic framework or supporting Russia’s war machine.