Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images/File
A portable drone detection and jamming device was exhibited at a security exhibition held in Villepinte, a suburb of Paris, France, on November 14, 2023.
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Chinese government trade groups have been procuring drone detection and jamming equipment for suspected Russian buyers, raising concerns that Beijing is supplying dual-use technology to Moscow.
According to a procurement notice posted on the official WeChat account of the Guangdong Russia Trade Promotion Association on May 22, foreign companies are seeking “unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipment,” including drone detectors and jamming devices. It was established last year to allow Russian customers to buy goods in China.
The association, which is overseen by the state Department of Commerce, said buyers were seeking “interference generators, drone detectors (brand names: BorisTone, Assel Labs, Bulat) or other similar technology solutions, drone suppression devices and communications band jamming devices.”
The Bulat drone detector was developed by Russian company 3MX and is known to have been used by Russian forces to identify drone activity during the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The procurement documents have been removed from the association’s WeChat social media account but remain on another government agency’s account.
The Yunfu International Trade Promotion Association posted a similar notice on WeChat last week, asking “interested companies” with the products to submit their information.
Drone jammers emit signals at the frequencies drones use to operate and transmit information, overwhelming the drone’s ability to communicate.
The posting of the notice comes as China is under increasing pressure from Western governments to prevent dual-use military products from falling into the hands of Russia’s defense sector or Russian troops on the battlefield in Ukraine.
The United States accuses China of covertly supporting Moscow’s war effort by selling such dual-use products, which include semiconductor chips, navigation equipment and jet parts.
China has repeatedly said it remains neutral in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, does not supply weapons to either side and “strictly controls” the export of dual-use goods.
An official from the Guangdong association denied that the document was intended to secure orders from Russian customers. In a phone interview with CNN, the official said the document was removed because it was “inappropriate.” CNN has also reached out to the Yunfu Trade Association for comment.
According to its official WeChat account, the main responsibilities of the Guangdong Association are: the state’s international trade activities; Liaising with Russian buyers and sellers, organising transactions, coordinating trade settlements with Russia, providing Russia-related legal advice to Chinese people, etc. trader.
China has deepened its ties with Russia since its invasion of Ukraine and has become a vital economic and diplomatic lifeline for the country. Last month, Russian President Putin visited Beijing and met with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, praising the close ties between the two countries.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told a defense ministers’ meeting in Singapore that China’s support for Russia would prolong the war in Ukraine, adding to concerns expressed by U.S. and European leaders in recent months.
“Beijing is directly supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine in a variety of ways, whether it’s buying oil to bolster the Ukrainian economy or helping to rebuild the defense industrial base,” said Oriana Skyler Mastro, a research fellow at the center for international affairs at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute.
Mastro says: She said she was “not particularly surprised” that Chinese local governments were helping Russian companies procure drone equipment.
But she does not believe Beijing will become more “directly” involved in the war.
The United States warned last week that it could take action against Chinese companies and financial institutions over suspected China of supporting Russian wartime activities.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in April that Washington had already imposed sanctions on more than 100 Chinese entities and individuals for allegedly supporting Russian wartime activities.
“Beijing must comply with U.S. demands and They, in particular, have a foreign policy principle of not selling weapons and equipment. [engaging in] “It’s foreign military intervention,” Mastro said.
“They will say they are doing their best to prevent military sales to Russia, but things are always [going to] “Get over it,” she said.
