China ships Assault Rifles, Drones and Body Armors to Russia

The Chinese embassy in Washington DC has claimed China is “not a party to the crisis, and has not provided weapons to either side of the conflict” as data shows firms based in the country shipped up to 1,000 assault rifles to Russian entities.

Chinese firms have sent Russian entities equipment through a roundabout route via NATO member Turkey and the UAE, data has shown. Customs data from ImportGenius has documented a series of shipments from the companies – including one connected to the Chinese government in Beijing – between June and December 2022 that could be used for military purposes.

Among the shipments are approximately 1,000 assault rifles, with drone parts and body armour also included. The data, first obtained by Politico, shows that state-owned defence contractors China North Industries Group Corporation Limited sent the rifles in June 2022 to Russian firm Tekhkrim, which does business with the Russian state and military.

But the CQ-A model firearms that have previously seen use in the hands of Chinese paramilitary police were tagged as “civilian hunting rifles”. The data shows the weapons are not earmarked for use in Ukraine, making them “dual-use” shipments of commercial goods that could find their way to the battlefield.

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