The European Union has “conclusive” evidence that armed drones are being produced for the Russian army in China’s western Xinjiang region and used in the war in Ukraine. Brussels has asked Beijing for answers on the matter. This is what several diplomatic sources revealed to the international press. This sensitive information will be discussed by EU foreign ministers during a meeting scheduled in Brussels on 18 November. According to reports, some of the Union’s 27 member states will demand serious consequences for what could be considered a sharp increase in China’s support for the Russian military.
“Credible” evidence of Chinese drone supply to Moscow
Many EU diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the evidence about the supply of Chinese drones to Moscow was “credible” and “convincing”. They would also announce that there would be serious consequences for Beijing. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, China has maintained that it is neutral regarding the war between Moscow and Kiev. Several sources said that the new evidence showed that the People’s Republic of China can no longer claim its involvement in the conflict.
Throughout the war, Brussels urged China to condemn the Russian invasion and insisted that providing military support to Moscow would be a “red line” not to be crossed. Concerns about China’s supply of dual-use products to Russia, i.e. those with both civilian and military use, have long existed. The direct supply of weapons, however, would take Chinese support for Russian President Vladimir Putin to a different level.
The case of the Garpiya drone
According to several sources, European states have raised the issue with Beijing and are ready to take decisive measures to punish China if the response is not satisfactory. In September, a report from the Reuters which cited European intelligence agencies, found that IEMZ Kupol, a subsidiary of Russian state arms company Almaz-Antey, developed and flight-tested a new drone model called Garpiya-3 (G3) in China with the help of local specialists. In an update to the Russian Defense Ministry, the company said it could “produce large-scale drones at a factory in China, so that the weapons can be employed in the ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine,” the term Moscow uses for the war, he had reported Reuters.
What consequences could there be for relations between China and the EU?
Relations between the EU and China have been in a very unstable situation for some time, both in terms of geopolitics and trade relations, in particular after the adoption of duties on Chinese electric cars imported into the EU. Some experts speculate that Brussels could increase sanctions against Chinese companies if the drone issue is confirmed. Others believe that member states could resort to more severe punitive measures.
So far the EU has sanctioned a fairly small number of companies based in mainland China or Hong Kong for allegedly directing dual-use goods, made in Europe, to Russian military buyers. Re-export to Russia is prohibited by European regulations. The Chinese mission to the European Union did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last month, the United States imposed sanctions on two Chinese drone suppliers and their alleged Russian partners for collaborating in the production of the “Garpiya” series of long-range drones.
