CHINA WATCHCalifornia Connection: How A Chinese Factory's Electronics Are Fueling Russia's War

By Mike Eckel and Mark Krutov

A Chinese company that owns a California electronics distributor has sent hundreds of shipments of restricted dual-use technology to Russia since the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, including to sanctioned companies with ties to the Russian military.

At least one component manufactured by the company, Yangzhou Yangjie Electronic Technology Company Limited, was found in a Russian weapons guidance system recovered from the battlefield in Ukraine, according to a public database maintained by the Ukrainian military.

Yangjie Technology, located in the city of Yangzhou northwest of Shanghai, has sent more than 200 shipments of specific goods to Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to customs records obtained by C4ADS, a Washington-based, nonprofit data-analysis and global-research organization.

The listed contents of those shipments — totaling at least 238 — included electronic components categorized as “high-priority” by the United States due to their potential use in Russian weapons systems, according to the data obtained by C4ADS and shared with RFE/RL, which independently corroborated more than 150 such shipments.

At least 17 such shipments were sent to a Russian electronics firm hit by U.S. sanctions, customs records show.

The findings further highlight the difficulty Western countries have had in trying to choke off the Russian military’s access to Western technology for use in its weapons and operations as its war on Ukraine continues.

China’s relationship with Moscow has deepened over the course of the war, both strategically and economically, while Beijing has also aimed to limit blowback from the West, in particular the United States, its largest trading partner.

Washington and the European Union have sanctioned some Chinese companies for providing dual-use technologies that aid Russian forces on the battlefield. After months of pressure, China in October released new export-control regulations aimed at constraining shipments of dual-use goods to Russia.

Still, Western officials have said the flow of goods from China has played a significant role in boosting Russia on the battlefield in Ukraine.

The items shipped by Yangjie Technology, according to the customs records, include certain types of diodes, as well as specific transistors, an electronic device that amplifies or switches electrical currents.