China supplying weapon parts to Belarus for Russia to use in war against Ukraine, Nikkei reports
Photo: China supplies arms to Russia through Belarus (Russian media)
Chinese companies are exporting precision parts used in Russian weapons to a Belarusian defense contractor even after it was sanctioned over the war against Ukraine, Japan's Nikkei news agency reports.
China insists that it does not support Russia with arms, but evidence suggests that Chinese companies may be deliberately facilitating the supply of arms to Russia.
The Belarusian opposition group BelPol has obtained contracts, payment documents, and other information about transactions between companies in Belarus and China from numerous industry sources.
According to these records, Green Cycle Energy, a Shenzhen-based company, received an order from Belarusian defense contractor BelOMO Holding on December 1 to supply 3,000 components for the LAD-21T laser module, a state-of-the-art module used to guide laser-guided bombs and missiles.
The payment was made in yuan. The Shanghai branch of the Russian state-owned VTB Bank was involved in the case.
The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Bilomo on December 5 for providing arms support to the Russian military. But Green Cycle Energy and BilOMO signed a contract worth another 5.56 million yuan ($764,000 at current exchange rates) to purchase these components on February 16.
On February 1, another Chinese parts manufacturer, Morotack (Tianjin) Technology, signed a contract to supply Diaproector, a BelOMO group company, with 200 units of components called “flanges” worth 114 thousand 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 relevant components per month from Morotack. Records obtained by BelPol contain some hints of close cooperation between Russian and Belarusian defense contractors.
In early February, Precision Laser Systems from St. Petersburg supplied laser components to Diaproektor. These components included laser diodes manufactured by Haucore, a Chinese manufacturer based in Jinan.
The supply consisted of 78 units and was valued at USD 499.2 thousand. PLS made similar deliveries to Diaproektor on February 20 and March 20.
Meanwhile, Diaproector 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.
In a purchase order sent to PLS in February 2023, Diaproektor said that its components would be supplied to Peleng “for the production of Sosna-U in the framework of state defense order of Ministry of Defense of Russian Federation.”
China's support for Russia's war against Ukraine
The Chinese government denies providing military support to Russia in its war against Ukraine. However 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 tighten sanctions against Chinese companies involved in the war.
On July 10, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused China of being the main supplier of arms to Russia's military-industrial complex. That day, NATO leaders adopted a joint declaration calling China a “decisive enabler” of Russia's war against Ukraine.
“The Group of Seven named China in a joint communiqué of the G7 summit in June this year. The group “continue taking measures against actors in China and third countries that materially support Russia's war machine,” the document says.
