Drone jammers sought by Chinese trade group for Russian buyers

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A Chinese government trade body has sought drone detectors and jammers for apparent Russian buyers, adding to concerns that Beijing may be supplying dual-use technology to Moscow.

Foreign companies are seeking “unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipment,” including drone detectors and jammers, according to a procurement notice posted on May 22 on the official WeChat account of Guangdong Provincial Association for Promotion of Trade with Russia, a group set up last year to help Russian customers buy goods in China.

The association, overseen by the province’s Commerce Department, said buyers wanted “interference generators, drone detectors (trade names BorisTone, Assel Labs and Bulat) or other similar technology solutions, drone suppressors, and communication band jammers.”

Bulat drone detectors were developed by 3MX, a Russian company. They are known for being used by the Russian army during its 2022 invasion of Ukraine to identify drone activity.

The procurement document has been removed from the association’s WeChat social media account, but it still exists on another government body’s account.

The Yunfu City’s Association for the Promotion of International Trade posted the same notice on WeChat last week, asking any “interested company” with the products to submit their information.

Drone jammers emit signals at frequencies that drones use to operate and transmit information, overwhelming their ability to communicate.

The posting of the notice comes as China faces significant pressure from Western governments to ensure that dual-use products with military applications are not finding their way to Russia’s defense sector or its forces on Ukraine’s battlefield.

The United States has accused Beijing of covertly supporting Moscow’s war by selling such dual-use goods. They include things like semiconductor chips, navigation equipment and jet parts.

Beijing says it is neutral in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and has repeatedly said that it does not provide weapons to either side and “strictly controls” the export of dual-use items.

A person with the Guangdong association denied that the document was intended to secure orders for Russian customers. He told CNN by phone that it was removed because it was “improper.” CNN has also reached out to the Yunfu trade association for comment.

According to its official WeChat account, the Guangdong association’s main responsibilities include supporting the province’s global trade work, connecting with Russian buyers or sellers, organizing exchanges, coordinating trade settlement with Russia and providing Russia-related legal consultation for Chinese traders.

China has forged deeper ties with Russia since its invasion of Ukraine and become a vital economic and diplomatic lifeline for the country. Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing and met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, both men praising the close relations between their countries.

Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a meeting of defense chiefs in Singapore that China’s support to Russia would extend the war in Ukraine, adding Ukraine’s voice to concerns raised by the US and European leaders in recent months.

“Beijing does provide a lot of different ways of direct support to Russia’s war in Ukraine, whether it is either the purchase of oil to help fuel its economy or helping them reconstitute the defense industrial base,” said Oriana Skylar Mastro, a center fellow at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.

Mastro said she is “not particularly surprised” that local Chinese governments would help Russian companies seek drone equipment.

But, she doesn’t believe Beijing will have more “direct” involvement in the war.

Last week, the US warned it could act against Chinese firms and financial institutions in response to Beijing’s alleged backing of Russian war efforts.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in April that Washington had already imposed sanctions on more than 100 Chinese entities and individuals for allegedly helping support Russia’s war effort.

“Beijing is trying to walk a very thin line between adhering to what the United States is asking them and, specifically, to their foreign policy principle of not selling weapons and equipment and [engaging in] foreign military interference,” said Mastro.

“What they would say is that they are doing their best to prevent the selling of military material to Russia, but things are always [going to] get through,” she said.