Summary and Key Points: Recent reports indicate that China and Russia are strengthening military ties, exchanging critical technology to enhance their war capabilities.

-According to U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, Beijing is providing substantial military assistance to Moscow, helping sustain Russia’s ongoing war efforts in Ukraine.

-At the same time, Russia shares sensitive military technologies related to submarines, missiles, and stealth aircraft.

-This collaboration worries the U.S. and its allies as it boosts China’s military capabilities, which have been rapidly expanding.

-The growing cooperation between these two nations is seen as a significant strategic challenge, especially in the Indo-Pacific, where China’s military ambitions are rising.

How China is Helping Russia Sustain Its War in Ukraine

As far as nation-states go, America’s biggest concerns are China and Russia. So naturally, any sort of coordination between the two is a point of interest for the U.S.

Reports yesterday indicated that Beijing and Moscow were participating in an exchange of military information – mutual aid that would help each improve its fighting capabilities. “Beijing is giving Moscow ‘very substantial’ help to beef up its war machine, and in return Russia is handing over its closely guarded military tech on submarines and missiles,” Politico reported, relaying a briefing from U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell.

Dual-Use Technologies?

The U.S., for its part, is escalating rhetorically. Washington has been critical of Sino-Russian exchanges of “dual-use technologies – which can be applied for military or civilian purposes.” But now, the U.S. is saying unequivocally that China is helping the Russian military.

Sanctions have hindered Russia’s ability to develop the technology needed to continue in its fight of attrition against Ukraine. China is sliding in to help Russia procure the technology needed to go on.

“These are not dual-use capabilities,” Cambell told a gaggle of reporters. “These are basically being applied directly to the Russian war machine. These are component pieces of a very substantial effort on the part of China to help sustain, build, and diversify various elements of the Russian war machine. We’re seeing efforts at the highest levels of both governments to try to both hide and protect certain elements of this worrisome collaboration…Most of these activities have been driven underground.”

Chinese assistance of the Russian war effort could have the effect of allowing Russia to maintain its current efforts, which are well into their third year.

To compensate China for the assistance, Russia is offering sensitive military technologies, including information relating to submarine operations, stealth aircraft, and missile design. The U.S., of course, is especially concerned with any expansion of Chinese military capabilities. China is a rising power that has increasingly asserted itself throughout the Indo-Pacific. Expansion of the Chinese military in recent decades has boosted both quantity and quality. An infusion of Russian military assistance could help the Chinese take further steps in improving its military.

Assessing the Chinese threat

The expansion of Chinese military capabilities will alarm not just the U.S., but the rest of China’s region, including India, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Taiwan. China has been engaged in one of history’s most ambitious shipbuilding sprees. China has invested heavily into its submarine and aircraft carrier corps, bolstering Beijing’s ability to contend for disputed island chains in the Indo-Pacific.

Simultaneously, China has been working to expand its aeronautical capabilities, with work ongoing to produce the J-35 stealth fighter and H-20 stealth bomber. China also has a cache of hypersonic missiles that the U.S. and its allies would have trouble defending against.

About the Author: Harrison Kass 

Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.

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