(ANSA) - ROME, MARCH 16 - "Chinese companies, including one linked to the Beijing government, have sent Russian entities 1,000 assault rifles and other equipment that could be used for military purposes, including drone parts and bulletproof vests".
Politico writes it, citing commercial and customs data.
Shipments took place between June and December 2022, according to data provided by ImportGenius, a customs data aggregator.
Politico writes that China North Industries Group Corporation Limited, one of the country's largest state defense contractors, "sent the rifles in June 2022 to a Russian company called Tekhkrim, which also does business with the Russian state and military. The CQ-A rifles , modeled on the M16 but labeled "civilian shotguns" in the data, have been reported in use by paramilitary police in China and militaries from the Philippines to South Sudan and Paraguay."
"Although customs data does not show that Beijing is selling large quantities of weapons to Moscow specifically to aid its war effort" in Ukraine, "they do reveal that China is supplying Russian companies with previously undeclared 'dual-use' equipment, commercial items which could also be used on the battlefield in Ukraine,” writes Politico.
And it is the "first confirmation that China is sending rifles and bulletproof vests to Russian companies and shows that drones and drone parts are still being sent, despite promises by at least one company to suspend operations in Russia and Ukraine".
“It is currently unclear whether Russia is using any of the rifles included in the battlefield dispatch data: Tekhkrim, the Russian company,
did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
But DJI drones have been spotted on the battlefield for months.
Dji did not immediately respond to a request for comment," writes Politico. (ANSA).