Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, July 2, citing sources familiar with the matter, that the Chinese Communist Party is manufacturing and testing lethal attack drones for Russia. These drones, based on Iran’s Shahed drone, could be classified as lethal weapons assistance.
If China directly provides weapons to Russia, it would mark an unprecedented escalation and almost certainly trigger harsher actions from Western countries against China, such as sanctions.
European officials familiar with the situation stated that Chinese and Russian companies are developing an attack drone similar to the Iranian drones deployed in Ukraine, indicating that Beijing may be approaching providing the kind of lethal weapons assistance warned against by Western officials.
The officials, who requested anonymity, stated that these two companies held talks in 2023 about replicating Iran’s Shahed drone and began developing and testing a version of the drone in 2024 to be shipped to Russia. They noted that Chinese drones have not been used in the Ukraine conflict.
Supplying Russia with attack drones similar to Shahed would signify deeper support from Beijing towards Moscow. Although the Chinese Communist Party is attempting to portray itself as maintaining neutrality in the Ukraine conflict, Western officials claim that China is providing components and other support to the Russian military.
These informed officials stated that some countries believe providing attack drones for Russia crosses the line into lethal assistance.
One insider mentioned that the US assessment indicates China is considering sending fully assembled drones as well as kits that can be converted into attack drones. The source stated that the US has not definitively concluded that Beijing is providing lethal assistance to Russia but acknowledged that other countries may have different interpretations.
A spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in the United States stated in a release that China does not provide weapons to any party involved in the Ukraine conflict and strictly controls the export of dual-use items.
Requests for comments from the Russian Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Foreign Affairs went unanswered.
Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia has utilized thousands of Shahed drones against Ukraine and even built a factory to mass-produce technology developed by Iran. The construction cost of this technology is relatively low, but the defense cost is high.
However, Russia still relies on drone supplies from countries like North Korea and Iran, as well as crucial components from China.
Officials expressed concerns that China’s production speed of drones similar to Shahed could far exceed that of Iran or Russia.
Officials did not disclose the specific name of the drone under development, but Chinese defense websites and multiple media reports suggest that China is developing an attack drone called “Sunflower 200”, part of the Kamikaze Special Attack Squadron, which allegedly bears a resemblance to the Iranian Shahed 136 drone.
US Ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith, stated in an interview with Bloomberg on Tuesday, “China is doing everything it can, seizing every opportunity, to claim neutrality in this Ukraine conflict, but in reality, China (the CCP) is providing a long list of dual-use military and civilian components, such as machine tools and microelectronic products, that enable Russia to continue this aggressive war against Ukraine.”
“Within NATO, we make sure to expose the fact that Beijing is no longer a neutral participant and to warn of the risks of China supporting Russia in this unwarranted war of aggression,” she said.