Chinese and Russian companies are developing a strike drone similar to the Iranian “Shahed” used by the Russian army to strike Ukraine.
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This was reported by Bloomberg, citing unnamed European officials.
According to them, in 2023, the companies held talks on cooperation in the production of copies of the “shaheeds”, and this year they began developing and testing the model in preparation for sending it to Russia, the publication’s sources said. They clarified that Chinese drones have not yet been used in Ukraine.
Earlier, Chinese defense websites and several media outlets reported that the country was developing a kamikaze strike drone called the Sunflower 200, which is similar in description and appearance to the Iranian Shahed 136.
In April, Bloomberg wrote that China is providing Russia with satellite images, microelectronics and machine tools for military purposes, as well as a number of technologies used in weapons production.
Until now, China has refrained from directly supplying Russia with lethal weapons. U.S. officials told Bloomberg that collaborating with Moscow on attack drones could signal an unprecedented escalation and would almost certainly trigger strong retaliatory action — such as sanctions — against the world’s second-largest economy.
One of them told the publication that, according to US estimates, China is still considering whether to send ready-made UAVs to Russia, but in the meantime is exporting components that can be converted into attack drones.
The United States has not yet concluded that China is sending lethal aid to Russia, a U.S. establishment official said, but acknowledged that other countries might interpret the reports differently.
China does not supply weapons to the parties to the Ukrainian conflict and strictly controls the export of dual-use goods, said Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the United States.
However, many in the West do not believe in China’s neutrality.
We are seeking to expose the fact that China is no longer a neutral player and to warn China of the risk of being among the countries supporting Russia in this unprovoked war of aggression, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said on Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated at the G7 summit that Chinese President Xi Jinping had given him his word that he would not supply weapons to Russia.
Source: Racurs
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