US lawmakers target Chinese military firms helping Russia with sanctions. According to chairman of the House select committee Republican congressman Mike Gallagher “Any company aiding and abetting the horrors in Ukraine – as the Chinese defense industrial complex has done – deserves to experience the full force of American sanctions”. That was the reason behind the introduction of a new bill that would impose sanctions on any Chinese military firm that provides material support to Russia.
It comes after growing alarm in Washington over the volume of material moving from China to Russia that the State Department says helps Moscow to produce weapons against Ukraine.
Same time according to the sources of The Financial Times newspaper, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken potentially could threaten China with sanctions against Beijing’s financial sector during his visit this week.
That will come if the country does not stop exporting military technology to Russia. The purpose of Blinken’s visit could be to deliver the message that the United States and its allies are becoming increasingly impatient with Beijing’s refusal to stop providing Moscow with everything it needs. This message would be the clearest warning the US has given to Chinese officials in person.
Meanwhile Chinese supplies are helping Kremlin to rebuild its industrial base. At least 70% of Russia’s machine tool imports in the last quarter of 2023 came from China and are likely to be used for weapons production, such as ballistic missiles. Also, in 2023, about 90% of Russian microelectronics came from China. Chinese and Russian companies are also working to jointly produce unmanned aerial vehicles in Russia, and Chinese companies are likely to supply Russia with nitrocellulose used in the production of ammunition. Chinese companies Wuhan Global Sensor Technology Co., Wuhan Tongsheng Technology Co. Ltd. and Hikvision supply optical components for use in Russian tanks and armored vehicles. Russia has received military optics manufactured by Chinese companies iRay Technology and the North China Research Institute of Electro-Optics for use in tanks and armored vehicles. China also provided Russia with UAV engines and turbojet engines for cruise missiles.
This so far shows a strong contrast with the actions of European politicians, who have so far avoided tough decisions against Beijing. But this is critically necessary to stop Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
