Chinese companies, including at least one affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, have been sending assault rifles, drone parts and body armies to Russia, according to a new report.
Records obtained by Politico indicate that these shipments to Russia took place between June and December 2022, long after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine.
Chinese President Xi Jinping looks to Afghanistan to broaden China’s growing economic interests. (Photo by Thomas Peter/ Reuters)
According to customs records, the state-owned defense company, China North Industries Group Corporation Limited, sent CQ-A rifles to the Russian company Tekhkrim in June 2022. Although these rifles were labeled “civilian shotguns”, they were said to have been used by the Chinese paramilitary police.
The data also showed that Chinese companies had sent 12 shipments of drone parts and more than 12 tons of body armor to Russian entities.
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It is not clear from the customs records that Beijing is shipping these items to Russia for the express purpose of supporting its war effort in Ukraine, as this equipment could be labeled as “dual use”.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the US State Department for comment on the latest developments.
FILE: Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin talk during their meeting in Beijing, China on February 4, 2022. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
The report comes after officials said last month that the US was “convinced” that China is considering providing deadly aid to Russia to support Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
The US and its NATO allies have repeatedly warned that any country – including China – will face swift and severe economic sanctions if they are found to be aiding Russia’s war effort.
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Beijing is struggling to maintain a balance between maintaining constructive relations with the West and condemning the US of “hysteria”, as Beijing did over the shooting down of the surveillance balloon, and blaming it for escalating the war by provide defensive aid to Ukraine.
Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.