Following a visit to Beijing by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, China has adjusted export controls on military drones. Bloomberg writes about it.
The publication noted that this decision is due to the fact that Beijing is facing increasing criticism from the United States and allies because of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
A number of agencies, including the Central Military Commission of China, have added drones with high-precision measuring equipment to the blacklist. These changes were made to the list last year, and the list will come into force on September 1.
While officials have lifted the ban on exports of consumer-grade drones, the Ministry of Commerce reiterated its position that civilian equipment should not be used for “proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism or military purposes”, – the publication emphasizes.
In addition, the government of Chinese leader Xi Jinping published the directive a few days after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba visited China for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
It is noted that Beijing has repeatedly denied Western criticism of China’s supply of dual-use goods to Moscow that have military applications.
European officials recently said that Chinese and Russian companies are developing an attack drone similar to the Iranian model used in Ukraine. China denies the allegations, saying that the Asian country has not supplied weapons to any of the parties to the conflict in Ukraine and strictly controls the export of dual-use goods, – the news agency adds.
The publication also noted that China opposes the use of drone exports for non-peaceful purposes, and also opposes individual countries imposing illegal sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals under the pretext of using drones.
