A Chinese trade organization seeks to acquire drone jammers from Russian suppliers.
Foreign businesses are looking for "unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipment," including drone detectors and blockers, as stated in a notice published on May 22 through the official WeChat account of the Guangdong Province Association for Trade with Russia, a group formed last year to assist Russian customers in acquiring products in China. The association, monitored by the province's Commerce Department, mentioned that buyers desired "interference generators, drone detectors (trade names BorisTone, Assel Labs and Bulat) or other comparable technology solutions, drone jammers, and communication band jammers."
Bulat drone detectors were developed by 3MX, a Russian firm. They are recognized for their use by the Russian military during their 2022 invasion of Ukraine to identify drone activity.
The procurement document has been taken off the association's WeChat social media account, but it is still accessible on another government organization's account.
The Yunfu City Association for the Promotion of International Trade posted the same notice on WeChat last week, requesting any "interested company" with the products to submit their information.
The appearance of this notice comes as China experiences significant pressure from Western governments to ensure that dual-use items with military applications do not reach Russia's defense sector or Ukraine's battlefield.
The United States has accused Beijing of covertly aiding Moscow's war by providing such dual-use commodities. These items include semiconductor chips, navigation equipment, and jet components.
China asserts that it is neutral in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, despite emerging as a crucial economic and diplomatic lifeline and tightening its already close strategic and diplomatic connection with Russia since the nation's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Beijing has repeatedly stated that it does not supply weapons to either side and "strictly controls" the export of dual-use items.
Removed Notice
A representative from the Guangdong association refuted that the document was intended to secure orders for Russian customers. He stated by phone to CNN that it was taken down because it was "inappropriate." CNN also reached out to the Yunfu trade association for comment.
In a statement, the official WeChat account of the Guangdong association listed its key responsibilities as assisting in the province's global trade work, connecting with Russian buyers or sellers, arranging exchanges, coordinating trade settlement with Russia, and providing Russia-related legal assistance to Chinese traders.
China has developed closer links with Russia since its invasion of Ukraine and has become a crucial economic and diplomatic lifeline for the country. Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited China and met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, where they praised the close connections between their nations.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a meeting of defense chiefs in Singapore that China's support for Russia would prolong the war in Ukraine, adding to concerns previously raised by US and European leaders.
Oriana Skylar Mastro, a fellow at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, remarked that, "I'm not particularly surprised that local Chinese governments would assist Russian companies in acquiring drone equipment." However, she does not believe Beijing will have more "direct" involvement in the war.
Last week, the US warned it might take action against Chinese enterprises and financial institutions to counter Beijing's supposed support for Russian war efforts.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in April that the US had already sanctioned over 100 Chinese entities and individuals for allegedly supporting Russia's military effort.
"Beijing is attempting to walk a very thin line between obeying what the US wants from them and, specifically, their foreign policy principle of not selling weapons and equipment and interfering in foreign military conflicts," said Mastro.
"What they would say is that they are making their best efforts to prevent the sale of military materials to Russia, but things will invariably slip through."
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Despite the removal of the procurement document from the Guangdong association's WeChat account, the Yunfu City Association for the Promotion of International Trade continues to seek interested companies with drone jammers and related technology. This demand for UAV equipment, as stated in the original notice, includes interference generators, drone detectors, and communication band jammers, which are crucial for business operations in certain industries.
