The DJI Inspire 1 Pro drone is on display at DJI Technology Co. Ltd.’s headquarters in Shenzhen, China, Wednesday, April 20, 2016.
Shen Qilai | Bloomberg | Getty Images
China’s Commerce Ministry stressed on Thursday its efforts to limit illegal exports of military supplies to Russia in an attempt to portray Beijing as a neutral player in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The comments came during a week ahead of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia. In a meeting on the sidelines of the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that the two countries’ “deep” ties would not change despite global geopolitical turmoil.
Throughout the Russo-Ukrainian war, China walked a tightrope in diplomacy. Beijing has not condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but it has not directly supplied Moscow with arms or ammunition.
Teneo managing director Gabriel Wildau said the Commerce Department statement “clearly shows that Chinese leaders are sensitive to Western criticism” that China’s exports “keep Russia’s wartime economy afloat” . He added that this sent another message to Moscow that Beijing’s support was not unlimited.
As part of its strongest condemnation yet, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in July called on Beijing to “cease all material and political support for Russia’s war effort,” including dual-use items. The term refers to goods or technology that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.
saturday china Promulgation of Export Control Law For dual-use items, it is scheduled to take effect on December 1. two Chinese companies Allegedly helping Russia build long-range attack drones.
The new regulations will establish an export license system for dual-use items and establish a list of restricted goods. Exporters of such goods must disclose the end users and intended uses of the exported goods.
“Since the Ukraine crisis, China has issued multiple drone control announcements and made it clear that civilian drones are not allowed to be illegally used for military purposes.” He Yadong, spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce, said Thursday’s press conferenceAccording to CNBC’s Chinese translation. He added that law enforcement officials have stepped up scrutiny of drone export licenses and stepped up checks on “illegal exports.”
Despite the timing of its release, the text of China’s new export control law does not mention specific countries. Xi Jinping did not mention export controls during his visit to Russia, according to an official statement.
Advocate for a neutral position
Beijing has called for a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine, saying it wants to uphold multilateralism rather than other countries’ use of tariffs and sanctions.
After speaking on Thursday about China’s efforts to restrict exports of dual-use products, a Commerce Department spokesman reiterated his opposition to “unilateral sanctions,” which he claimed had no basis in international law.
China will firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests and oppose malicious suppression and sanctions on Chinese companies on the grounds of Russian involvement.
It’s unclear how broadly China’s latest export controls on dual-use products will be implemented.
Sari Aho Hafren, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute who studies Chinese foreign policy, said Russia “can easily and probably will be exempt from China’s export controls”. “I’m going to take a step back and see what happens next.”
China’s new regulations still leave the door open to dual-use products. “These export control measures are not an outright export ban,” Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Justice of China says in explanatory note Sunday, after the rules were released. That’s according to CNBC’s Chinese translation.
Officials pointed out that these rules will not cause obstacles to normal economic and trade cooperation and global supply chains.
Tenio’s Wildau said Washington may interpret Beijing’s latest policy statement as a positive signal, but “actions speak louder than words.”
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