US claims China helps Moscow in largest military expansion since Soviet times

(Patria) - China is helping Russia carry out its largest military expansion since Soviet times, US
officials said on Friday, AFP reported.

US officials hope that releasing intelligence data will encourage European allies to pressure China, as Chancellor Olaf Scholz travels to Beijing this weekend and G7 foreign ministers meet in Italy next week. Announcing the US findings, officials said China is helping Russia in a range of areas, including joint drone production, space capabilities, and exports of machine tools
vital for producing ballistic missiles.

China has been a key factor in revitalizing Russia's defense industrial base, "which otherwise suffered significant setbacks" since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a senior US official told reporters on condition of anonymity. "Russia is undertaking its most ambitious defense expansion since the Soviet era, and faster than we believed possible at the start of this conflict," the official said.

"Our view is that one of the moves that changes the game most for us at this point in supporting Ukraine is convincing the PRC to stop helping Russia rebuild its military industrial base," the official said, referring to the People's Republic of China. "Russia would struggle to sustain its war effort without contributions from the PRC," he added.

US officials said China provided more than 70 percent of the $900 million worth of machine tools, likely used to make ballistic missiles, that Russia imported in the last quarter of 2023. They say that last year, 90 percent of Russia's imports of microelectronics, used to produce missiles, tanks, and aircraft, came from China.

China walks a fine line

The United States has repeatedly warned China not to support Russia, and Chinese and US officials say Beijing has stopped directly supplying weapons to Russia, which has turned to North Korea and Iran to replenish its arms stockpiles.

US officials believe that China, concerned after early battlefield failures by its Russian ally, has instead focused on sending materials that ostensibly have non-military use. The Joe Biden administration hopes European powers can make a difference in persuading China, which faces economic problems and is sensitive to trade pressure.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to present arguments about China's ties with Russia at a meeting with top G7 diplomats in Capri, Italy. Blinken also plans a visit to China in the coming weeks, following a visit by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. The administration hopes such dialogue, including a recent phone call between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, could help curb tensions between the world's two largest economies, but US officials have stressed they will continue to apply pressure. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said this week that Europe's stability is
historically the highest US interest and that China will be held accountable if Russia makes gains.