After Iran directly attacked Israel and the latter responded, the role of China in instigating the conflict in the region by empowering Iran amidst international sanctions for decades has also come under the scanner.
Following the sanctions on Iran after the Islamic Revolution, China played a pivotal role in setting up the missile technology of Iran. According to a report by US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Chinese transfer of dozens or perhaps hundreds of missile guidance systems and computerised machine tools to Iran sometime between mid-1994 and mid-1995, along with its later agreement in August 1996 to sell to Iran’s Defense Industries Organisation gyroscopes, accelerometers, and test equipment that could be used to build and test components for missile guidance, allowed Iran to increase the accuracy of its SCUD missiles and facilitated development of Iran’s indigenous production capacity.
China’s most significant contribution to Iran in the area of missile expertise, training and technology has been its assistance in the construction of missile production facilities. Iran’s largest missile factory, located near Esfahan, was originally built with Chinese assistance. Beginning in 1987-88, this facility served as the assembly site for Iran’s SCUD-B missile kits.
In addition to production assistance at Esfahan, sources report that China has also helped build a ballistic missile plant and test range east of Tehran, and may also be involved in producing solid-fuel rockets at Iran’s Seman facility. The current variants of Iranian missiles have a significant influence of Chinese technology.
Chinese defence tech exposed
On April 13, Iran launched a massive attack on Israel. According to reports, almost 50 per cent of the Iranian missile failed to launch and reach its target. This creates serious doubts about the effectiveness of Chinese missile technology provided to Iran.
An analysis by the Institute for the Study of War released numbers on the Iranian attack on Israel on April 13, 2024. According to which out of 170 drones launched by Iran, all were intercepted by Israel, 108 ballistic missiles out of 120 were intercepted and all 30 cruise missiles were intercepted. Given the legacy of Chinese technology in Iran’s missile program, the recent attack underscores its shortcomings, revealing unreliability and inaccuracy, and warning other nations against relying on Chinese defence imports.
The attack exposes the limitation of China’s technology transfer to other nations. The unreliability and inaccuracy of Chinese technology should deter other nations from relying on Chinese defence imports.
Historically, Iran has been dissatisfied with the quality of Chinese weapons. A comprehensive study by The Strategic Studies Institute on Chinese arms exports stated that the reason why Iran’s arms imports from China went on a downward trend over the years is because of the sub-optimal quality of Chinese weapons. In 2021, Iran was granted full access to China’s BeiDou satellite system for military purposes. Given the fact that Iran uses the Chinese-made Beidou Navigation System for its drone navigation, the significant failure of the drone attack exposes the shortcomings of Chinese technology.
Countries including Pakistan, Nigeria, Myanmar, and Thailand have experienced the shortcomings of inefficient Chinese military equipment. The persistently inferior quality of Chinese defence technology has historically deterred these nations from relying solely on China for their military needs.
Close ties between Iranian Defence Manufacturers and China
So far, China has been supplying these defence equipment to Iran- J-6 Fighters, T-5 Tanks, T-59 Tanks, F-6 Fighters, Anti-Tank Guns, T-69 Tanks, HY-2 “Silkworm” anti-ship missile, C-801 Anti-ship Missile, M-7 Short-range Ballistic Missile (300-500 km), F-7 Fighters, Houdong Missile Boat, C-701 Anti-ship Missile, Nasr-1 (C-704) and Shahed Drones.
According to Iranwatch.org, both Iranian and Chinese defence manufacturers have close ties. Beijing Micropilot UAV Flight Control Systems is the primary supplier of engines for Shahed drones to an Iranian defence company Mado Import and Export Company Limited. Iran used these drones during the April 13 attack on Israel. There are three Chinese companies that are involved in supplying optical equipment with military applications to Iranian companies. The Chinese companies are Wuhan IRCEN Technology Co. Ltd, Raybeam Optronics Co. Ltd and Sunway Tech Co. Ltd. The Iranian companies, with whom these are working closely are Rayan Pardazesh Pezhvak Company, Rayan Laser Test Company and Rayan Electronic Farda Company.
Chinese support to rogue organisations
China is known to have provided support to organisations like Hamas. The M-302 rockets used by Hamas were designed by the Chinese and manufactured in Syria. In February 2019, Chinese company Binance Holdings Ltd’s then-Chief Compliance Officer Samuel Lim acknowledged that the cryptocurrency exchange was being used to funnel money to Hamas, explaining to a colleague that terrorists normally sent “small sums”. Binance has been accused by the US government of ‘willfully’ failing to report over 100,000 suspicious transactions from several militant groups, such as Hamas, Al Qaeda, ISIS and others. The company’s CEO, Changpeng Zhao, had to step down from his post after pleading guilty.
Internal documentation from Binance explicitly acknowledges the company’s coordination with Chinese state agencies which includes sharing data collected through its global operations. Even the missiles used by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea have a Chinese link. It may be recalled that Houthi rebels have been selective in targeting foreign vessels. Chinese vessels have been left unharmed.
The writer is an author and columnist and has written several books. His X handle is @ArunAnandLive. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.