China is limiting the sale of key components used to build Ukraine’s drones: report

China appears to be curbing the sale of crucial drone components to the West amid an escalating trade dispute with the US.

China is limiting the export of critical components used in drones by Ukraine in its war against Russia’s invasion, Bloomberg reported.

Multiple people with knowledge of the development told the publication that China is curbing the sale of drone parts to the US and Europe.

The report said Chinese manufacturers have limited the delivery of parts such as motors, batteries, and flight controllers, or stopped shipments completely.

The curbs may form part of a wider ban on drone components that could be announced in January, Bloomberg added.

The moves come amid escalating diplomatic and trade disputes with the US.

The US has imposed sanctions on Chinese companies accused of helping Russia’s campaign in Ukraine, and last week restricted the sale of sophisticated chips to China used in military technology and AI.

Meanwhile, president-elect Donald Trump has threatened a new trade war with China when he takes office in January.

In response, China has halted exports to the US of items relating to minerals and metals that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.

“The US has broadened the concept of national security, politicizing, and weaponizing trade and technology issues, and abused export control measures,” China’s commerce ministry said in a statement at the time, adding that the measures are effective immediately and are being implemented to “safeguard national security.”

Flying drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), have been time crucial to Ukraine in holding back the Russian invasion, with cheap models made in Ukraine used for surveillance or fitted with explosives and used as bombs.

China’s export restrictions are reportedly impacting Ukraine’s capacity to make cheap drone domestically, as well as restricting the production of more sophisticated drones for firms in Europe and the US.

China is the dominant player in the global drone market, controlling around 70% of global drone markets, according to reports.

The restrictions could lead to intensified competition from Japan, Korea, and other economic rivals over the drone market, Keegan McBride, a researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute who studies tech policy, told Bloomberg.

A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the UK did not immediately respond to a request for comment by B-17.