The supply of microcircuits from China to the Russian Federation has more than doubled. And the volume of exports of aluminum, which is important in the production of weapons and the aerospace industry, is 400 times greater.
has increased many times” alt=”China has almost openly sided with Russia: the Russian Federation's sale of military goods has increased many times since the beginning of the aggression” />
China sells goods to Russia, which are needed to continue the war against Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal writes about it.
In 2022, the supply of microcircuits from China to the Russian Federation will more than double. And the volume of exports to the Russian Federation of aluminum oxide, which is important in the production of weapons and the aerospace industry, is 400 times greater.
As the publication emphasizes, exports to Russia of microchips and other electronic components and of raw materials, some of which have military applications, increased precisely after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, complicating the efforts of the US and Western allies to isolate the economy of the aggressor country.
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Last month, the US Department of Commerce added five Chinese electronics manufacturing companies to a trade blacklist for helping Russia defense industry, both before and after the invasion.
However, Chinese technology sellers continue to do business with Russia despite US scrutiny.
< p style="text-align: justify;">The Sino-Russian trade in chips and other components with potential military applications involves both small private firms and large state-owned enterprises. Incomplete data and complex networks of subsidiaries and intermediaries make it difficult to track all activity, say the US.
However, there are clear data on the existence of such trade. In particular, this concerns the sale by Russian defense firms of parts of missile systems to China Poly Group, a conglomerate controlled by the Chinese central government.
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The USA even imposed sanctions on Poly Technologies for participating in the proliferation of missile technologies.
In a comment to The Wall Street Journal, a representative of the State Department stated that the sanctions were related to the company's transfer of ballistic missile technology to another country, but did not specify which country it was.
In addition to radar components and semiconductors, Chinese exporters have also helped fill a gap in basic materials that Russia is limited in sourcing.
Moreover, unlike the state-owned conglomerate Poly, the Chinese companies recently targeted by the US Department of Commerce are small private distributors. Some of them openly advertised their defense orientation until recently.
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At the same time, Chinese officials say that the country does not sell weapons to Russia. And overall exports from China to Russia have fallen significantly this year, as many Chinese companies fear encountering US sanctions.
However, The Wall Street Journal reminds that Chinese leader Xi Xi Jinping has repeatedly reaffirmed Beijing's support for Russia, saying the two countries share friendship without “limitations.” And Vladimir Putin emphasized the importance of selling much more energy carriers to China and other Asian countries in the future.
“Common dissatisfaction with the international system led by the USA after World War II gradually united the countries during the decade of Xi Jinping's stay in power, despite a long history of strategic mistrust,” the newspaper writes.
