Chinese and Russian companies are developing an attack drone similar to the Iranian "Shaheed" that the Russian army uses for strikes on Ukraine, reports Bloomberg, citing unnamed European officials, quoted by News.bg.
According to Bloomberg's sources, in 2023 the companies held negotiations on cooperation in the production of copies of "Shaheed", and this year they began the development and testing of the model in preparation for sending it to Russia. Chinese drones have not yet been used in Ukraine, the sources said.
Earlier, Chinese defense websites and media reported that China is developing a kamikaze attack drone named Sunflower 200, which in description and appearance resembles Iran's "Shaheed" 136.
In April, Bloomberg reported that China was providing Russia with satellite imagery, microelectronics and military machinery, as well as a range of technologies used in weapons production.
Until now, China has refrained from direct supplies of lethal weapons to Russia.
U.S. officials told Bloomberg that cooperation with Moscow in the production of strike drones could signal an unprecedented escalation and would almost certainly trigger strong retaliation, such as sanctions, against the world's second-largest economy. the world.
One of them said that according to US estimates, China is still considering whether to send finished drones to Russia, but in the meantime it is exporting components that can be converted into strike drones. The US has not yet concluded that China is providing lethal aid to Russia, but has acknowledged that other countries may interpret these actions differently.
"China does not supply weapons to the parties involved in the conflict in Ukraine and strictly controls the export of dual-use goods," said Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the United States. However, many in the West do not believe in China's neutrality.
"We seek to expose the fact that the PRC is no longer a neutral player and to warn China of the risk of being among the countries supporting Russia in this unprovoked war of aggression," said US Ambassador to NATO Julian Smith.
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Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the G-7 meeting that Chinese President Xi Jinping had promised him that he would not supply arms to Russia.