Chinese companies are exporting high-precision parts used in Russian weapons to a Belarusian defense contractor even after it was hit by sanctions over its war against Ukraine.
Points of attention
- Contracts with Chinese companies and Belarusian defense contractors provide the opportunity to obtain critical parts for advanced weapons guidance systems.
- Information about the supply of parts to the Russian Federation via Belarus causes outrage among Western countries and may lead to aggravation of sanctions restrictions.
- China denies the military support of the Russian Federation in the war against Ukraine, but applications and agreements for the supply of parts say otherwise.
- At the same time, the West is preparing to strengthen sanctions against Chinese companies that help in the supply of military goods to the Russian Federation.
China supplies weapons to Russia through Belarus
China insists it does not support Russia with arms, but evidence suggests Chinese companies may be deliberately facilitating supplies to Russia.
However, the Belarusian opposition group BelPol obtained contracts, payment documents and other information about transactions between companies in Belarus and China from numerous industry sources.
According to those records, Shenzhen-based Green Cycle Energy received an order on Dec. 1 from Belarusian defense contractor BelOMO Holding to supply 3,000 components for the LAD-21T laser module. This newest module is used to guide laser-guided bombs and missiles.
The payment was made in RMB. The Shanghai branch of the Russian state bank VTB participated in the case.
Another Chinese parts manufacturer, Morotack (Tianjin) Technology, signed a contract on February 1 to supply Diaproektor, a member of BelOMO Group, with 200 units of components called "flanges" worth 114,000 yuan. Belarusian and Chinese banks participated in the deal.
These components are considered essential for advanced guidance systems. In a letter dated May 2, BelOMO also requested 100 units of each of the respective components per month from Morotack. The records obtained by BelPol contain some hints of close cooperation between Russian and Belarusian defense contractors.
At the beginning of February, the company Precision Laser Systems from St. Petersburg supplied laser components to the company "Diaproektor". These components included laser diodes produced by the Chinese manufacturer Haucore of Jinan.
Meanwhile, Diaproektor sells components to the Belarusian defense contractor Peleng, which supplies the Russian military with sights for Sosna-U tanks and is under US and UK sanctions.
China's support for Russia's war against Ukraine
The Chinese government denies providing military support to Russia in the war against Ukraine. But Western countries believe that China is helping the Russian military by exporting high-tech components and similar goods.
In this regard, the West is preparing to strengthen sanctions against Chinese companies involved in this war.
On July 10, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken accused China of being the main supplier of weapons to Russia's defense-industrial complex. On that day, NATO leaders adopted a joint declaration in which China was called a "decisive aid" in Russia's war against Ukraine.
