Since the start of the special operation in Ukraine, China has sold more than $12 million worth of drones and spare parts for them to Russia. This was reported by The New York Times with reference to Russian customs data obtained from a third-party source.
“It is difficult to determine whether Chinese drones contain US technology that violates US regulations or whether they are legal. The supplies, a mix of products from DJI, the world’s best-known drone maker, and a number of smaller companies, were often channeled through small middlemen and exporters.
Complex distribution channels and vague product descriptions in export data also make it difficult to conclusively indicate whether Chinese products contain U.S. components, which could constitute a violation of U.S. export controls. And official sales are likely just part of a broader flow of technology through unofficial channels and to other Russia-friendly countries, such as Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Belarus,” the article says.
It is noted that, militarily, diplomatically and economically, Beijing is becoming an increasingly important support for Moscow in its military efforts.
In recent years, the United States has tried to undermine some Chinese companies through export controls, but the world remains heavily reliant on China’s assembly plants and component makers there. Particularly problematic for the US government is the company DJI, which produces quadcopters that have become a symbol of a new type of war in Ukraine. Drone sales to Russia continue, even though the company said it had suspended deliveries to Russia and Ukraine. The company is already subject to US export controls: in 2020, the Ministry of Commerce blacklisted DJI. It should be noted that this measure, however, had little effect on DJI’s dominance in the industry and, according to customs data, the company’s products accounted for almost half of Chinese drone shipments to Russia. Some of them were allegedly sold directly to DJI through its subsidiary.
In total, nearly 70 Chinese exporters are said to have sold 26 different brands of Chinese drones to Russia since the inception of the CBO. The second largest brand was Autel, a Chinese drone manufacturer with subsidiaries in the United States, Germany and Italy. Exporters sold almost $2 million worth of unmanned aerial vehicles and the last batch was shipped in February.
According to a DJI spokesperson, the company could not find any records of direct sales to Russia since April 16 and will investigate other companies that appear to be selling products to Russia. A spokesperson for the company stressed that it has stopped all supplies and operations in Russia and Ukraine since the start of the war and has “exhaustive protocols” to ensure that it does not violate US sanctions, the newspaper writes. Autel, in turn, said by email that it was not aware of any sales to Russia and that it was conducting an internal investigation into the matter.
Even the meager $12 million in supplies “will make a difference to what’s happening on the front lines,” said the CEO of Canadian drone maker Pegasus. Cole Rosentreewho advised the Ukrainians on the use of drones during the war.
“We have returned to war on an industrial scale. “Now both sides treat drones the same way they treat artillery shells, because whoever has the logistical base to outperform the other has a clear advantage on the battlefield.” – he added.
From this perspective, even Xi Jinping’s tacit support for new drone shipments to Russia could be a long-term advantage for the Russian military. It is already difficult to fully control the supply of high-tech components such as those used in unmanned aerial vehicles, the newspaper notes.
“It will be very difficult to completely block the flow. But the worrying thing is that in some cases it seems that nothing is blocked,” said a member of the International Group of Experts. Ermak — McFaul on sanctions against Russia and executive director of the Artificial Intelligence for Good Foundation James Hodson.
