A detailed report on trade between China and Russia shows Chinese companies supplying Russia with high-tech goods, including military aircraft parts.
Various components of Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, Mil Mi-17 helicopters were shipped to Russia from China, according to the report.
The Wall Street Journal claims to have analyzed Russian customs office records for over 84,000 shipments conducted since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Numerous shipments include dual-use goods, such as semiconductors, the Wall Street Journal alleges. Such goods can be used on both civilian and military equipment. Other shipments include explicitly military equipment, the report states.
For example, according to the journal, on August 31, 2022, navigation equipment for Mi-17 helicopters was shipped by China’s Poly Technologies to JSC Rosoboronexport, the Russian state-own export company.
Both Russian and Chinese military widely use the Mi-17, a further development of the Mil Mi-8 utility helicopter.
Two months later, on October 24, 2022, state-owned conglomerate Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) shipped $1.2 million worth of parts for Su-35 fighter jets to AO Kret, a subsidiary of Russia’s state conglomerate Rostec.
The Sukhoi Su-35, the latest derivative of the Su-27, is one of the primary air superiority fighters of Russian Aerospace Forces. The type is widely used in Ukraine, conducting both air patrols and air-to-ground strikes. According to Oryx blog, two Su-35s can be visually confirmed as lost by Russia in the conflict.
China purchased 24 Su-35s in 2015, along with arranging domestic production of the Shenyang J-15 and J-16, home-grown Su-27 derivatives that show significant similarity to the Russian Su-33 and Su-35.
According to the Wall Street Journal, shipments between China and Russia also included radar parts, infrared cameras, jammers and other equipment used on Russian military vehicles.