China firm ‘sent satellite images to Wagner’
A CHINESE tech firm has been sanctioned by the US for allegedly providing satellite imagery that aided Russia’s Wagner group.
Spacety is claimed to have provided the data to Terra Tech, a Russian firm that supports the Kremlin-backed mercenary group, which has sent thousands of its own fighters to Ukraine and is the main target of the latest sanctions.
The US treasury department said on Thursday that Spacety China and its Luxembourg subsidiary provided “satellite imagery orders over locations in Ukraine… [that] were gathered in order to enable Wagner combat operations.”
Nearly a year into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China has neither publicly supported nor condemned Vladimir Putin’s actions.
But the US and other Western nations are increasingly concerned about what support Beijing or Chinese entities might be giving Russia – for instance, via state-owned enterprises or private companies, such as Spacety.
“I understand that there has been evidence that Chinese companies – including working through Hong Kong – have been exporting dual-use technologies including semiconductor chips,” said Bob Menendez, the Democratic chairman of the senate foreign relations committee.
“We should not forsake the potential of sanctions against China if it is providing critical assistance and it shouldn’t be able to hide behind some companies,” he added. “We need to cut the head of the snake off in every way we can.”
Spacety does not appear to have direct government ties and there is nothing to indicate that Beijing is aware of its activities. Its website lists a number of partners, including state-owned enterprises in space and technology and a government think tank.
In China, private firms are unlikely to flourish without at least implicit government backing, given the state’s tightening grip over every aspect of society under leader Xi Jinping.
China and Russia have trumpeted stronger ties in recent years. Mr Xi was the last world leader to meet Mr Putin before Russia’s invasion last February.
Spacety didn’t respond to an email asking for comment.