US Sanctions Chinese Companies Accused of Making Russian Drones

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Facts

• The US Treasury Department on Thursday sanctioned two Chinese companies it said had aided Russia's production of military drones.^[1]
• Throughout much of Russia's war in Ukraine, the US accused China of supplying Russia with dual-use commercial goods that could later be used in weapons manufacturing — an allegation Beijing denies. Thursday's announcement was the first time the US accused Chinese firms of direct involvement in procuring weapon parts for Moscow.^[2]
• In a statement from the Treasury Department, the agency accused the firms of being directly involved in the development and production of Russia's Garpiya series of long-range attack drones.^[3]
• It accused Xiamen Limbach Aircraft Engine Co of producing the L550E engine for the Garpiya drones, while Redlepus Vector Industry Shenzhen Co was accused of acting as an intermediary to deliver the engines to a Russian defense firm.^[3]
• The Russian defense firm, TSK Vektor, was also placed under US sanctions as well as its owner, Artem Yamshchikov. As a result of the move, any assets of the three entities and the individual under US control will now be seized by US officials.^[3][1]
• Responding to allegations, Liu Pengyu, the Chinese embassy spokesperson in Washington, said: 'The US makes false accusations against China's normal trade with Russia, just as it continues to pour unprecedented military aid into Ukraine. This is (the) typical double standard, and extremely hypocritical and irresponsible.'^[4]

Sources: ^[1]BBC News, ^[2]CNN, ^[3]US Treasury Department and ^[4]Reuters.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by US Treasury Department. Russia's Garpiya drone has been used with brutal effect in Ukraine, destroying critical infrastructure and causing mass casualties. The US took these steps in line with its policy of helping Ukraine defend itself, as well as seeking to put an end to further Russian aggression.
• Pro-China narrative, as provided by TASS and Global Times. China condemns these unilateral and illegal US sanctions and does not accept these baseless accusations. Unlike other parties in the conflict, the PRC has never provided weaponry to either side and has consistently strived for a fair and peaceful settlement of the conflict.

Predictions