China adjusted its export controls on military drones amid growing criticism from the U.S. and its allies over support for Russia's war efforts in Ukraine.
On July 31, a range of agencies, including the Central Military Commission, added drones with high-precision measurement equipment to a blacklist, Bloomberg reports. The updated list, initially published last year, will take effect on Sept. 1.
President Xi Jinping's government issued the directive days after Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba visited China for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. On July 24, Kuleba said that China remains "unshakably" committed to Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity.
China has positioned itself as neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war but has simultaneously deepened economic ties with Moscow and backed the country against Western sanctions. It has also shaped up to be Russia's leading source of dual-use goods that feed the Russian defense industry. Beijing, however, has consistently refuted Western accusations of supplying Moscow with dual-use items with military applications.
While officials lifted export bans on consumer-grade drones, the Ministry of Commerce reiterated that civilian equipment should not be used for "the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, or military purposes."
European officials recently claimed that Chinese and Russian companies are developing an attack drone similar to an Iranian model deployed in Ukraine. China has denied these allegations, maintaining that it has not provided weapons to any parties involved in the Ukraine war and strictly controls the export of dual-use items.
China "opposes drone exports being used for non-peaceful purposes, and opposes individual countries imposing illegal sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals on the pretext of using drones," the Ministry of Commerce said.
Nate Ostiller
(Updated: )
