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How surging trade with China is boosting Russia’s war in Ukraine
Chinese firms are playing an increasingly critical role in supporting Russia’s military capabilities in Ukraine, including by exporting goods that are ending up on the battlefield, new analysis by CNBC shows.
International
Chinese firms are playing an increasingly critical role in supporting Russia’s military capabilities in Ukraine, including by exporting goods that are ending up on the battlefield, new analysis by CNBC shows.
Russian customs data filed as recently as August point to the continued importation of drones, helmets, vests and radios from China, providing a lifeline for President Vladimir Putin’s over 18-month war of attrition, and offering a lucrative avenue for Chinese companies.
At the same time, Chinese goods of less widely documented Chinese exports that are ostensibly for civilian use, including vehicles, construction equipment and synthetic materials, are providing direct and indirect support to Russia’s war efforts, analysts say.
“I think there’s no question that the Chinese authorities are aware of the trade flows,” Mark Cancian, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, said. “They’re large enough that they could not continue without the acquiescence of the Chinese government.”
The defense ministries of China and Russia did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the trade flows.
This trade is happening despite insistence from Beijing that its trade with Moscow constitutes “normal economic cooperation” and that it targets no “third party.” Last Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi confirmed China’s continued business cooperation with Russia ahead of a planned meeting between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in October.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/trade-china-boosting-russia-war-ukraine-rcna117652