Chinese trade body seeks drone jammers for Russian buyers

A Chinese trade body sought to buy drone-jamming equipment for Russian buyers last month, underlining the close ties between the two countries amid concerns in Europe and the US over China’s supply of dual-use technology to Moscow.

The government-affiliated Guangdong Province Trade Promotion Association for Russia, which was set up last year to help Russian customers buy goods ranging from trucks to boats, posted a “Notice of foreign enterprises purchasing [unmanned aerial vehicle] equipment” on its WeChat social media site.

The association said the buyers wanted “interference generators, drone detectors (trade names BorisTone, Assel Labs, Bulat) or other similar technological solutions, UAV suppressors, communication frequency band jammers”.

The buyers wanted a locally made equivalent to the Bulat drone detectors, which were developed by a St Petersburg company, 3mx. 3mx has said that these detectors have been used “on the front lines” during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The US has repeatedly said it wants to stop supplies reaching Russia’s defence industry through China, which it sees a vital route to sustain President Vladimir Putin’s war machine.

US deputy Treasury secretary Wally Adeyemo said on Friday that the US and Europe “must make the choice stark for China”. “Chinese firms can either do business in our economies or they can equip Russia’s war machine with dual-use goods. They cannot do both,” Adeyemo said in a speech to German business leaders in Berlin on Friday.

China plays a dominant role in the global drone supply chain and DJI, which is based in Shenzhen in Guangdong province, is the world’s largest commercial drone maker by shipments.

Last month, the US Treasury placed sanctions on two Chinese groups — Wuhan Global Sensor Technology and Wuhan Tongsheng Technology — that officials previously told reporters were helping Russia.

The Treasury also targeted Juhang Aviation, a company based in Shenzhen, that produces drone-related equipment, including propellers, signal jammers, sensors and engines.

According to its WeChat account profile, the Guangdong Province Trade Promotion Association for Russia was established under the guidance of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Commerce. Guangdong, a tech manufacturing superpower, is one of the country’s wealthiest provinces.

The association’s responsibilities include co-ordinating with the province to encourage global trade, assisting in connecting with Russian buyers, interpreting economic and trade policies and providing legal consultation services related to Russia.

The procurement notice was posted on May 22 and later removed. A person from the association told the Financial Times the announcement had been “some sort of mistake, so we took it down”.

The person claimed Russian buyers were in fact looking for “children’s toys” — despite the detailed descriptions of drone detection equipment in the notice — before hanging up.

3mx, the developer of the Bulat drone detector, said last month that it had “been used by fighters on the front lines for a long time” to “detect and identify enemy drones in good time”.

Beijing says it does not provide lethal arms to Russia. China has placed controls on the export of a broad range of drones and their components.