Chinese and Russian companies are developing a drone that is similar to the Iranian Shahed attack drone. This indicates that Beijing is preparing to transfer lethal weapons to Moscow, which Western officials have previously warned about.
This is reported by Bloomberg, citing European officials familiar with the matter.
Yes, in 2023, Chinese and Russian companies held negotiations on cooperation in the creation of a new drone, after which its development began, and later — testing According to the sources of the agency, these drones have not yet been used in the war against Ukraine.
Bloomberg interlocutors did not name the type of drone that the Chinese and Russians are jointly working on, however, Chinese defense websites and several mass media reported that Beijing is developing the Sunflower 200 kamikaze attack drone, which has the same characteristics as Iran's Shahed 136.
Giving Russia such drones would mean deepening Beijing's support for Moscow, writes Bloomberg. However, US officials say that China is refraining from directly providing weapons and artillery, which would mean an unprecedented escalation. China also declares that it does not provide weapons to any of the parties to the conflict.