The outlet has said the reported restrictions could adversely affect the production of military UAVs in Ukraine
China has restricted the export of key components to Europe and the US used in the production of drones, Bloomberg has reported, citing anonymous sources. The outlet said the measure could pose a challenge to Ukraine’s military UAV manufacturers, who are heavily reliant on Chinese parts.
In an article on Monday, Bloomberg said that the restrictions affect both US and European firms. Chinese manufacturers have reportedly either limited their shipping quantities or suspended altogether the deliveries of such key components as drone motors, batteries, and flight controllers.
The outlet quoted Lorenz Meier, chief executive officer of Auterion, a company that specializes in providing UAV software, as predicting that “it will escalate over time to new restrictions.”
The firm reportedly works with the Ukrainian military among other clients. Bloomberg stated that “many producers of UAVs in Ukraine rely on Chinese parts.”
The alleged caps were preceded by Beijing’s ban on the sale of dual-purpose items and materials to the US military and American companies earlier this month. The outlet said the move came in retaliation for Washington imposing curbs on the sale of high-bandwidth memory chips and additional semiconductor gear to China.
The article suggested that Beijing is set to put in place more sweeping export restrictions next year. These could supposedly take the form of license approvals or a requirement for Chinese companies to notify the government of their shipment plans.
Faced with such gloomy prospects, drone manufacturers in the US and the EU are looking for alternative suppliers, with Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan mentioned by Bloomberg as potential substitutes.
However, according to a Washington-based think-tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, China at present accounts for almost 80% of the commercial drone market globally.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, multiple claims have been made by Western officials and the press, alleging that Beijing has supplied both Moscow and Kiev with drone components for their respective fleets of reconnaissance and strike UAVs. China has consistently denied these accusations.
Back in July, China introduced a ban on the export of all civilian drones that could potentially be used for military purposes. In November, the country’s Ministry of Commerce issued a list for export control of dual-use items that came into force on December 1.
In a social media post in September, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky appeared to criticize Chinese export restrictions, without naming the country directly.
