June 09, 2021.
Last year SAW A TRIPLING IN EXPORTS TO BEIJING of “dual use” items defined as “civilian goods with a military purpose.” THE U.K. GOVERNMENT HAS AUTHORIZED the sale of £2.6-billion worth of military and civilian equipment with potential military use to China in the past three years, government figures show.
• Most British exports were for “dual use” equipment but £53-million worth classified purely as “military” went to China over the three years 2018-20, including components for combat aircraft and military support aircraft. Other items licensed for use by China included military communications equipment and technology for air defense systems.
• In addition to supporting the navy and air force, hundreds of licences have been approved by U.K. ministers for the sale of “information security equipment” and “imaging cameras” to China.
• It is not clear if such exports could aid the Chinese state’s domestic surveillance capabilities since the items are not specified in government documents. The U.K. ’s partial arms embargo on China forbids the export of equipment “which might be used for internal repression”.
• In addition to supporting the navy and air force, hundreds of licences have been approved by U.K. ministers for the sale of “information security equipment” and “imaging cameras” to China.
• It is not clear if such exports could aid the Chinese state’s domestic surveillance capabilities since the items are not specified in government documents. The U.K. ’s partial arms embargo on China forbids the export of equipment “which might be used for internal repression”.
• Author of this article is Mark Curtis, author and editor of Declassified UK, an investigative journalism organization that covers Britain’s foreign, military and intelligence policies.
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