JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia-Ukraine War: China’s Vanishing Neutrality” – The Diplomat
“Full Chinese logistical support for Russia could be the real game changer of the war – and that support is growing more important and less discreet.”
“… [T]he United States continues to suspect China of selling arms to Russia …. [M]ilitary aid from China would represent a change of scale [compared with North Korea] … because of the stocks China can provide … [and] its ability to manufacture them in continuous flows. … Ukraine noted that among the debris of Russian missiles found [more recently] … there are more and more Chinese components … in the on-board electronics. … In 2023, China became the leading supplier of ‘computer numerical control’ machine tools to Russia, equipment essential for the manufacturing of many components and spare parts used by the Russian military-industrial complex. … China [reportedly] directly supplies Russian defense manufacturers with essential components and spare parts. … [I]t is not in the field of ammunition, electronics, or spare parts that the reality of military support from China to Russia has become more tangible, but in a more prosaic area: vehicles. … [A] [Sino-Russian] contract was recently signed … for Chinese all-terrain military vehicles. … [T]hese vehicles been deployed on the front, including … armed versions … [and] have … clearly … been used (and lost) in combat. … [T]hese approximately 2,000 light vehicles could be insignificant compared to aid that is much more discreet, but probably much more important: loans granted by Chinese banks still present in Russia. … China is also strongly pushing for the use of its currency, the renminbi, in Russia. …”
In some additional examples, Russian imports of Chinese industrial ball bearings are up 345 per cent since 2022, as are similar imports transiting through Kyrgyzstan, up 2,500 per cent. In a recent video stamped by the Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian soldiers mentioned Chinese-supplied equipment, apparently tires and tents.