China expands ban on military drone exports - Bloomberg
Photo: China has banned the export of military drones (Getty Images)
China has adjusted export controls on drones intended for military use as Beijing faces growing criticism from the US and its allies for supporting Russia's war against Ukraine, according to Bloomberg.
Drones with precision measurement equipment have been added to the blacklist by several agencies, including the Central Military Commission. The additions amend the list published last year and will take effect on September 1.
While the Chinese authorities have lifted export bans on consumer-grade drones, the Ministry of Commerce reiterated its position that civilian equipment should not be used for the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, or military purposes.
President Xi Jinping's government issued the directive a few days after Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba visited China for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Beijing has repeatedly rejected Western criticism that it supplies Moscow with dual-use goods that have military applications.
European officials recently claimed that Chinese and Russian companies are developing a strike drone similar to the Iranian model against Ukraine, Bloomberg reported. China has rejected such allegations, saying that it has not supplied weapons to any party to the conflict and strictly controls the export of dual-use goods.
China “opposes drone exports being used for non-peaceful purposes, and opposes individual countries imposing illegal sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals on the pretext of using drones,” the Chinese Ministry of Commerce adds.
