Recent actions between China and Russia have been making headlines. While the U.S. Secretary of State was in China warning the Chinese Communist Party, defense ministers of China and Russia had face-to-face meetings, Putin announced his visit to China in May, and a Russian ship carrying weapons is currently undergoing maintenance in China. However, in the face of stern warnings from the U.S. and the West, the CCP seems to have lost its previous aggressive stance.
On April 25th, the Russian ship “Angara,” which has been transporting weapons between Russia and North Korea, was spotted anchored in Zhoushan, China. The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a defense and security think tank in the U.K., revealed that since August last year, the ship has been transporting thousands of containers believed to be carrying North Korean ammunition to Russian ports. However, since February this year, the ship has been docked at a Chinese shipyard in Zhoushan.
Satellite images obtained by RUSI from Planet Labs PBC in recent months show that the Angara is currently docked at the Xinya Shipyard in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, China. The shipyard is claimed to be the largest private repair company in China.
The unique Automatic Identification System (AIS) of the Angara inadvertently exposed its location. The ship’s AIS was briefly activated during its voyage to China through the busy Korea Strait for safety reasons, leading to its identification.
RUSI stated that the Angara arrived in China on February 9th, seemingly for repair or maintenance purposes. The ship had previously docked in North Korea and Russian ports in January with its AIS turned off. Soon after arriving in China, its AIS was again deactivated.
According to RUSI’s report, since August 2023, the ship has made at least 11 deliveries between North Korea’s Rajin Port and Russian ports. RUSI has been monitoring its movements as part of tracking North Korean sanctions evasion using open-source data. The ship has been under U.S. sanctions since May 2022.
Last year, reports revealed that three Russian cargo ships related to Moscow’s military transport network embarked on “unusual journeys” following Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s visit to North Korea in July. The Angara was the first of these ships.
Not only is the Angara under sanctions, but two Russian companies that own and operate it have also been sanctioned by the U.S. since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. However, the Chinese Embassy in Washington claimed to be unaware of the details of the Angara incident, stating that Beijing opposes unilateral sanctions without international legal basis or UN authorization.
However, the U.S. and several other countries have clearly stated that North Korea transferring weapons to Russia blatantly violates multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.
During the meeting of defense ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization member countries held in Kazakhstan on April 25th, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu also met with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Feng for the first face-to-face meeting since Wei took office at the end of last year.
Shoigu attributed the tension in international geopolitics to Western political adventures and neo-colonial behavior. He mentioned that Russia and China are cooperating in various fields at an unprecedented level. This meeting is expected to further deepen the strategic partnership in defense between Russia and China.
On the same day as the meeting between Shoigu and Wei, Russian President Putin himself announced his plans to visit China next month. “The visit in May is being planned.” However, Putin did not disclose specific dates or details of the visit. Russian media reported that Putin made the announcement at an event organized by the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.
This may be Putin’s first foreign visit after his re-election. At the age of 71, Putin is scheduled to have his inauguration for a new term on May 7th, and he is likely to visit Beijing after that.
Putin’s new presidential term marks his fifth six-year term, making him one of the longest-serving leaders in Russian history. However, due to his involvement in the war in Ukraine, he is internationally isolated and heavily relies on Beijing’s support in political, economic, and diplomatic aspects.
According to recent U.S. assessments, Chinese companies have significantly increased exports of machine tools, microelectronics products, and other technologies and materials to Russia over the past few months, enabling Russian defense enterprises to produce more powerful missiles, tanks, aircraft, and other weapons.
Despite frequent interactions between China and Russia, their relations seem neutral on the surface as they attempt to manipulate the truth.
During a routine press briefing by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on April 26th, when asked about China providing microelectronics products and satellite technology to Russia, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin argued that such statements were baseless and aimed at “shifting blame.” China-Russia trade is considered “normal,” with over 60% of the weapons components imported by Russia coming from the U.S. and the West.
However, regardless of China’s rhetoric and attempts to play on both sides, it seems that the U.S. and NATO have lost confidence in China.
On April 25th, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg issued a direct warning to China, stating, “If China wants to maintain good relations with Western countries, it must stop supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine.”
At the same time, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in China, separately meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. It is believed that he was delivering a final ultimatum to China.
During his final press conference in China, Blinken expressed the U.S. view on China’s support for Russia in strong terms. He stated that without China’s support, Russia would have difficulty sustaining its attacks on Ukraine. “If China does not address this issue, we will.”
Faced with Blinken’s tough stance, China had to compromise. The “Wolf Warrior” diplomacy is no longer prevalent, and Chinese media reports now cautiously discuss China-U.S. friendship while avoiding sensitive issues.