US sanctions Chinese companies accused of making Russian drone parts

China has forged closer ties with Russia since the invasion of Ukraine, but it has repeatedly denied supplying weapons.

The United States Department of the Treasury has announced sanctions against Chinese makers of drone engines and parts that President Joe Biden’s administration says have directly helped Russia mount long-range attacks in the war in Ukraine.

The sanctions, issued on Thursday, target three entities and one individual for their involvement in the development and production of Russia’s “Garpiya series” long-range attack drones.

“The Garpiya has been deployed by Russia in its brutal war against Ukraine, destroying critical infrastructure and causing mass casualties,” the Treasury Department said in a statement announcing the measures.

“Designed and developed by People’s Republic of China (PRC)-based experts, the Garpiya is produced at PRC-based factories in collaboration with Russian defense firms before transferring the drones to Russia for use against Ukraine.”

Russia has recently used long-range drone attacks to penetrate Ukraine’s air defences, wreaking havoc across the country, including a missile strike in the city of Poltava that killed 55 people and wounded 328.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the US to allow his forces to use its long-range weapons to strike deep into Russian territory.

China’s “direct” role

The US has previously accused China of providing material support to Russia to sustain its war against Ukraine. The latest round of sanctions seeks to target “direct activity” between Beijing and Moscow, according to senior Biden administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity and were quoted by The Associated Press news agency.

These are the first US sanctions imposed on Chinese entities directly developing and producing complete weapons systems in partnership with Russian firms, according to US officials.

“Russia increasingly relies on the expertise of foreign professionals and the import of sophisticated technologies to sustain its weapons program and advance its military campaign against Ukraine,” Bradley T Smith, acting undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement. “We will continue to disrupt the networks that enable Russia’s acquisition and use of these advanced weapons.”

China has forged closer ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine but has repeatedly denied supplying weapons to Moscow. Chinese officials have defended China’s trade with Russia as normal and above board.

The US has rolled out a series of sanctions against entities and individuals that it has accused of aiding Russia’s war effort. This year, it sanctioned more than 300 individuals and firms in China, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said at the time that Washington would “confront China’s nonmarket policies that are leading to harmful global spillovers”.

Last month, China issued its own sanctions against US defence firms over sales of military equipment to Taiwan. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lin Jian said at the time that US weapon sales to “China’s Taiwan region” had “seriously violated the one-China principle, … infringed upon China’s sovereignty and security interests” and “damaged China-US relations”.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies