China has hit out at the European Union over "double standards" over the 27-member bloc's proposed sanctions against Chinese companies accused of furnishing Russia's war machine through drone-related supplies.
The EU's permanent representatives are meeting on Wednesday to mull a sanctions package, their 15th since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which would mostly target Russian military manufacturers. However, six Chinese firms and a Chinese citizen would be subject to asset freezes and a visa ban, respectively, said Radio Free Europe, which reviewed the draft proposal.
During the Chinese Foreign Ministry's regular press briefing on Tuesday, spokesperson Mao Ning described the proposed penalties as baseless and unilateral.
"China firmly opposes unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law or authorization of the UN Security Council," she said. "China has never provided weapons to parties to the conflict and strictly controls the export of dual-use articles, even drones for civilian use. We oppose using civilian drones for military purposes."
Mao emphasized that exchanges between Chinese and Russian companies "do not target any third party and should not be disrupted or interfered with." She urged the EU to avoid a "double standard" and warned that China would defend the lawful rights of its companies.
Newsweek reached out to the European Commission and Russian Foreign Ministry with written requests for comment.
Though Beijing has denied supplying lethal weaponry, the U.S. and its allies have long suspected Chinese companies are a source of dual-use components finding their way into Russian tools of war.
Russia has deployed thousands of unmanned aerial vehicles, including domestically produced Orlan-10 and Iran-made Shahed-136 suicide drones, in Ukraine and relies heavily on foreign imports of microelectronics and other components critical to the machines' operation.
As of late 2023, China accounted for two-thirds of these components, according to the Yermak-McFaul Expert Group on Russian Sanction's 2023 study of 174 foreign components removed from drones downed in Ukraine.
The sanction proposal follows last week's meeting of EU foreign ministers, with diplomatic officials telling the media that reports of a Chinese factory producing fully assembled war drones for Russia were "conclusive" and "credible."
Reuters in September cited documents suggesting Russian R&D company IEMZ Kupol had developed a long-range drone with help from Chinese researchers.
According to communications between that company and Russia's Defense Ministry, a Chinese factory had been found to produce the drones, and prototypes were sent to Russia for testing.
The Biden administration has already sanctioned dozens of Chinese firms, including state-owned ones to the U.S. Commerce Department's Entity List over shipment of goods with military applications to Russia.
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