Achi news desk-
Amid signs of continued military integration between the two countries, China has provided Russia with satellite imagery for military purposes, as well as microelectronics and machine tools for tanks, according to people familiar with the matter.
China’s support also includes optics, propellants for use in missiles and increased space cooperation, one of the people said.
President Joe Biden raised concerns with Xi Jinping during their call this week about China’s support for Russia’s defense industrial base, including machine tools, optics, nitrocellulose, microelectronics, and turbojet engines, a White House National Security Council spokesman said. , Adrienne Watson.
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the holiday weekend.
Beijing has tried to portray itself as largely neutral in the face of Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year, yet has established a deep alliance with Moscow as part of what Xi and Vladimir Putin have called is a “no limits” friendship. before the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Trade between the two countries reached a record $240 billion in 2023. Neighbor Russia has become a supplier of everything from clothes to machinery and cars after an exodus of Western manufacturers and multiple rounds of sanctions. At the same time, Russia has boosted exports of goods such as coal and oil to China.
Crucially, China and Hong Kong have also become key gateways for Moscow to access restricted technologies, including chips and integrated circuits, used in weapons or needed to build them. The United States and the European Union have blacklisted several Chinese companies for enabling those transfers, but the trade shows little sign of letting up.
Last year, the Biden administration also sanctioned a Chinese company for providing satellite images to a Russian technology company which in turn supplied them to Wagner’s mercenary group.
Beijing has not yet indicated whether it will participate in a summit Ukraine has been organizing to agree on key principles for building a future peace settlement with Russia.
China’s support for Russia has deepened in recent months, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private matters. Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week briefed European allies on the scope and significance of China’s support and on the need to do more to curtail it, one of the people said.
Blinken asked allies to raise the issue directly with China and to take action against Chinese entities and companies, another person familiar with the discussions said.
The Financial Times first reported some of the messages conveyed by Blinken in meetings with NATO allies.
The United States and its allies will seek to convey their concerns to Beijing and to step up efforts to address China’s support for Russia’s defense industry, the people said.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also warned of “significant consequences” this week if companies, including those in China, provided material support to Russia’s war against Ukraine and its military-industrial base.
Read more: Moscow Defeats Ukraine’s Allies in the Race for Russia
The concerns come as Ukraine faces critical artillery shortages and its allies falter in their efforts to resupply Kyiv. Meanwhile, Russia has been able to boost its domestic arms production, continues to import key components through a network of third countries, and obtains shells and other weapons from the likes of North Korea and Iran.
The Biden administration previously warned Beijing not to provide weapons to Russia, and there is no indication that it has done so so far.
–With help from Peter Martin.
(Updates with White House comment in the fourth paragraph.)
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
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Published: 07 Apr 2024, 04:15 AM IST
