Chinese manufacturers began limiting their sales of vital drone components to their U.S. and European customers, preluding a broader ban on exports by officials, Bloomberg wrote on Dec. 9, citing undisclosed sources.
Drones play a pivotal role in the battlefield during Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s war, from providing reconnaissance to dropping explosives on their targets.
Both sides ratcheted up their production, with Russia producing 140,000 drones in 2023 and aiming to craft 1.4 million by the end of 2024, mainly using Chinese parts. Ukraine plans to produce 30,000 long-range drones in 2025, reportedly boasting the capacity to build 3 million drones of various types in a year.
Ukraine might have to China-proof its supply chain for drones as experts expect more widespread Chinese bans on certain drone parts in 2025.
China’s step came as a response to the U.S. ban on selling high-bandwidth memory chips and additional semiconductor gear to China.
With U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s "tough-on-China" policy not likely to ease tensions, other manufacturers from Japan and Korea might take the place of the Chinese ones, Bloomberg wrote.
While claiming neutrality, Beijing plays a pivotal role in Russia's war effort, supplying various dual-use goods that feed the Russian defense industry. A media report from November said that the EU had obtained evidence of China's lethal support for Moscow in the form of attack drones.
The Chinese leadership claimed it had not provided military support to either side.
Kateryna Hodunova
(Updated: )
