The US accuses a Chinese company of helping Russia in the war against Ukraine, of cooperating with the Houthis - WSJ

American officials investigating the war in Ukraine have uncovered a disturbing connection between Russia and China. It turned out that the Chinese company Chang Guang, which is funded by the government, was providing intelligence to Russia. Later, the US State Department accused the Chinese company of helping the Houthis, who attacked American warships in the Red Sea. This is reported by UNN with reference to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

Details

"While tracking Russia's invasion of Ukraine, American officials discovered a disturbing connection with China: a company closely linked to the Chinese military and supported by government funding was providing Russian fighter jets with high-resolution battlefield images," the publication said.

The Biden administration imposed sanctions on Chang Guang in 2023 after its satellites were suspected of helping the Wagner paramilitary group in Russia's war against Ukraine.

Last week, Chang Guang Satellite Technology also came into the focus of the United States and was accused of helping Houthi rebels in Yemen attack American warships in the Red Sea.

Their actions and Beijing's support for the company, even after our private contacts with them, are another example of China's empty claims of supporting peace.

In response to this US accusation, the company told Chinese media that it has no business relationship with the Houthis or their supporters in Iran, calling the State Department's accusations fabricated.

Last week, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, responding to a question about the US State Department's accusations of helping the Houthis, said he was not familiar with the details of the case, but noted that Beijing wants to ease tensions in the Red Sea.

At the same time, without the help of the Chinese government, it may be difficult for the US to influence Chang Guang. Beijing is reluctant to interfere with its domestic companies from making deals with customers that the US does not like, such as allowing the sale of drones to Russian customers.

Meanwhile, as the publication notes, the company is currently building a network of hundreds of satellites, which is causing concern in Washington due to the huge coverage. According to American officials, the company is likely to provide further support to opponents of the United States.

How it works

On the website, customers can purchase satellite images from around the world and exchange information through the "knowledge sharing" platform. Last year, in one post on this platform, some users claimed to have taken advantage of the network's capabilities to take pictures of the latest American B-21 Raider stealth bomber, which is still under development and parked at an airbase in the Mojave Desert in California. The Pentagon then declined to comment.

Additionally

The company was founded in 2014 in Jilin Province with the support of the state-owned Chinese Academy of Sciences. Even at the beginning of its existence, the chairman of the firm, Xuan Ming, had ambitious goals.

"My clients are even more numerous than Ma Yun's - that's seven billion people in the world," he said, referring to Chinese tech billionaire Jack Ma, who founded e-commerce giant Alibaba.

At the end of 2024, Chang Guang had already managed to launch 117 satellites as part of a network called Jilin-1. Today, according to the company, satellites can observe any point on Earth up to 40 times a day. The company plans to have 300 satellites in the network in the coming years, which, according to industry experts, will make it the largest commercial system of its kind.

For comparison, Planet Labs of San Francisco has about 200 satellites in orbit.

Chang Guang's growth is part of a strategy in China known as "military-civil fusion," in which officials want to break down barriers between state-owned defense firms and innovative startups in the field of civilian technology.

Let us remind you

Ukrainian special services handed over evidence to China of the participation of Chinese citizens in the war on the side of Russia and the cooperation of Chinese companies with the Russian military-industrial complex. Kyiv called on Beijing to stop supporting the aggression.

On April 8, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Ukrainian soldiers captured two Chinese citizens during fighting in the Donbas - the prisoners fought in the Russian army.

Also, the Head of State stated that 155 Chinese citizens are fighting against Ukrainians on the territory of Ukraine. Recruitment takes place through social networks, in particular Tik-Tok.

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