Chinese company discusses selling drones to Russia -Der Spiegel (updated)
24/02/2023 10:41
(Adds details on Chinese manufacturer Bingo)
BERLIN, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Russia is in talks with a
Chinese manufacturer about buying 100 drones, with a delivery
date of April, German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Thursday,
without citing specific sources.
In recent days, the United States, Germany and other Western
countries have warned China not to sell weapons to Russia for
its war against Ukraine, saying that any such move would have
severe consequences.
Russia, hemmed in by severe Western sanctions imposed in
response to its attack on Ukraine, is believed to have bought
weaponry from Iran and North Korea, including drones from the
former, but China has so far stood aside.
Der Spiegel said Chinese drone manufacturer Xian Bingo
Intelligent Aviation Technology had said it was prepared to make
100 prototypes of its ZT-180 drone, which the magazine said
could carry a 35-50kg warhead.
"I have told China's representatives that it cannot be
accepted," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told ZDF public
television earlier on Thursday when asked about less specific
reports that China might help Russia.
Der Spiegel said the drone was similar to Iran's
Shaheed-136, with which Russia has launched countless attacks on
Ukraine, claiming hundreds of lives and damaging civilian
infrastructure.
The magazine also said Bingo had plans to help establish a
production site for the drone in Russia, where up to 100
aircraft could be made a month.
It added that there had been earlier plans for a company
controlled by the Chinese army to send Russia spare parts for
its SU-27 warplane.
Bingo did not respond to an e-mailed request for comment.
The company was founded in 2017 by Ma Jingdong, a
graduate of China's Northwestern Polytechnical University and
its drones have been used by the likes of China's electricity
network operator State Grid to carry out environmental
monitoring work, according to posts on its official WeChat
account.
In November 2018, Bingo said it had signed a strategic
cooperation agreement with an online platform established by
Poly Technology Defense Investment, a unit of state-owned China
Poly Group which aims to support military trade and research
into military equipment.
A procurement document published by the government of
China's farwestern Xinjiang region in August 2021 said drones
developed by Bingo had been used in military exercises and
described their technical strength as "first class".
(Reporting by Thomas Escritt in Berlin, Brenda Goh in Shanghai
and Eduardo Baptista in Beijing
Editing by Matthew Lewis and Kim Coghill)
((thomas.escritt@thomsonreuters.com; @tomescritt;
@thomasescritt@berlin.social; +49 30 2201 33579;))