Could China’s new export controls on military-related tech and materials backfire?
- Beijing’s tightened export restrictions could reduce concerns about China’s sales of dual-use products to Russia, expert says
- But measures could also speed up decoupling of two nations’ defence industries, analysts said
China’s move to tighten export controls on military-related equipment was intended to counter growing US tech curbs, but may also speed up the decoupling of the defence industries of the two countries, analysts said.
Beijing announced on Thursday that it would impose export controls on aerospace equipment, engines and key materials used to produce bulletproof vests from July 1, accounting for about US$8 billion worth of exports in the first four months, according to customs data.
The rules mean that components covered by the ban will not be exported without authorisation, according to a statement jointly released by the Ministry of Commerce, General Administration of Customs and Central Military Commission’s Equipment Development Department.
The restrictions affect several countries, including major export destinations the United States, France, Germany and Brazil.
The move, which analysts said was not a surprise, was primarily aimed at the US and its allies, given China’s foreign trade dynamics since last year, according to Zhou Chao, a research fellow for the geopolitical strategy programme at Anbound, an international think tank.
