China is supplying technology and equipment to Russia that are increasingly important to Moscow’s war in Ukraine, according to a newly released report compiled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence of the United States.
The report, titled “Support provided by the People’s Republic of China to Russia” and dated 2023, is non-confidential and largely cites open source data and Western press reports to support these claims. It includes the US intelligence community’s assessment that China “has become an increasingly important support for Russia in its war effort.”
The report says that in March, China “shipped more than $12 million worth of drones and drone parts” to Russia, citing a “third-party analysis” of Russian customs data.
Chinese state defense companies have also been supplying sanctioned Russian government defense companies with other dual-use technologies “which Moscow’s military uses to continue the war in Ukraine”, the report says, including “navigation equipment, jamming technology and fighter – jet parts”.
China’s semiconductor exports to Russia have also increased considerably since 2021, he adds, with “hundreds of millions of dollars worth of US-manufactured or branded semiconductors flowing into Russia” despite heavy Western sanctions and export controls.
The report says that Chinese companies are “probably” helping Moscow to evade these sanctions – although it is “difficult to determine the extent” of this help.
The text also says that the intelligence community cannot be certain whether Beijing is deliberately interfering with the US ability to conduct export control checks, through interviews and investigations, inside China.
The report points out, however, that China “has become an even more critical economic partner for Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022”.
A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said that China “maintains an objective and fair position” on the conflict.
“On the issue of Ukraine, China takes an objective and fair position, actively promotes peace talks, and has played a constructive role in facilitating a political solution to the crisis,” said Liu Pengyu.
“China does not sell weapons to parties involved in the Ukraine crisis and prudently handles the export of dual-use items in accordance with laws and regulations,” Liu said in a statement to CNN .
“China-Russia economic and trade cooperation is completely honest, does not target third parties, and must be free from interruption or coercion by third parties,” he said.
Countries are using domestic payment systems more frequently for transactions in order to bypass Western banking systems from which Russia has been isolated, the report says, and China has been increasing its imports of Russian oil and gas supplies.
These supplies were largely banned by the US and Europe in an attempt to cut Russia’s war chest.
The report was mandated by the FY2023 Intelligence Authorization Act passed by Congress and was released by House Intelligence Committee Democrats Thursday.
“This unclassified assessment, required by last year’s Intelligence Authorization Act, details the extent of China’s support for Putin’s ongoing invasion,” Democratic Rep. Jim Himes, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said in a note.
“Russia’s war against Ukraine was made possible in large part by China’s willingness to support them, both directly and indirectly. I hope this report makes it clear to Beijing that the United States and the world will know if it takes further steps to allow Putin’s brutal invasion,” he concludes.
The Biden administration has repeatedly raised concerns with China about evidence suggesting Chinese companies have sold non-lethal equipment to Russia for use in Ukraine, but American officials say they have so far seen no signs that China has provided weapons or lethal military aid to Russia.
The US believes that early in the war, China intended to sell lethal weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine, a US official told the CNN . But China significantly scaled back those plans as the war raged on, this person said — something the Biden administration hailed as a victory.
China has claimed neutrality over the war in Ukraine and has called for peace in the conflict. But Beijing has also avoided publicly criticizing Russia’s war efforts and the two countries have repeatedly emphasized their cooperation, with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu declaring a military partnership “without limits” after a meeting. in April.
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*With information from CNN’s Jennifer Hansler
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
