Why is China funding the Russian War Machine?

Patrick Drennan

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For the first two years of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, China presented itself as an independent arbiter. In 2023 it even proposed a 12-point peace plan that was mainly commerce-orientated. Practical goals such as protecting civilians and prisoners of war were included, although notably it does not criticize Russia’s unreasonable rationale for the invasion.

Now that plan is missing from official Chinese government websites and China unequivocally supports Russia economically, and with millions of dollars of military aid.

One example is Silva a Russian shell company, headquartered in Buryatia, Siberia. According to Politico it filed declarations in January 2025 detailing orders for 100,000 bulletproof vests and 100,000 helmets from manufacturer Shanghai H Win.

Chinese manufacturers providing Russia with dual-use (military and commercial) components has been critical in boosting Russia's military capabilities. In 2024, dual-use shipments from China to Russia surpassed US$4 billion according to Dr Daniel Balazs of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS). These included optics, transmitters, engines, microcircuits, antennas, control boards, software and navigation systems.

While there are no examples of China supplying heavy weaponry like artillery, they have certainly provided essential laser guidance systems, ball bearings, and gunpowder.

More significantly, drones are critical on the Ukraine battlefield. China is the major supplier to Russia of military surveillance and attack drones, initially the Mavic series from DJI. From 2022 to 2023 Chinese firms sold $12 million (U.S.) worth of drones and spare parts to Russia. Currently, the Russian V2U strike drones, which have artificial intelligence capabilities, are entirely made up of Chinese components.

In return, Russia shares its expertise with China in submarine technology, missile systems, and advanced radar. Ironically, China takes these systems, reverse-engineers them and produces jets and jet engines that are superior to their Russian counterparts. As Russian military equipment losses grow, and they no longer have the technology to replace them, they will be forced to buy more military materiel from China.