by Steve Holland and Susan Heavey
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – China is supporting Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine by helping Moscow increase its defense production with machine tools, microelectronics, drone and cruise missile technology, officials said US leaders on Friday spoke on condition of anonymity.
US President Joe Biden raised this subject with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their recent telephone conversation, according to these leaders, who add that the subject is on the menu of discussions between the United States and its allies in Europe and around the world. .
One executive says Chinese products fill gaps in Russia’s defense production cycle and help Moscow carry out its “most ambitious defense expansion since the Soviet era and at a faster pace than imagined in this conflict.”
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“In our view, the most decisive action available to us to support Ukraine is to convince China to stop helping Russia rebuild its military industrial base. Russia would have difficulty fighting its war without it. aid from China,” one of the US officials said.
Some of the information shared with journalists is based on declassified intelligence and outlines a wide range of tactics used by Beijing to help Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Russia likely used machine tools imported from China to increase its production of ballistic missiles, officials say.
In 2023, 90% of Russia’s microelectronics imports came from China and were used to produce missiles, tanks and aircraft, according to executives.
According to them, Chinese companies Wuhan Global Sensor Technology Co, Wuhan Tongsheng Technology Co Ltd, and Hikvision supply optical components for Russian systems including tanks and armored vehicles.
China and Russia would work in partnership to produce drones from Russian territory, according to American leaders.
(French version Zhifan Liu)
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