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| Syrian refugee camp (Image: Flickr User - Fabio Sola Penna) |
By David Volodzko
By exporting missile technology to Iran, China is effectively arming Syrian forces and exacerbating the civil war.
Since the imposition of sanctions against Iran, 31.7 percent of arms exports to that country, representing a worth of $4.25 trillion, have been supplied by China. China’s deliveries to Iran have primarily consisted of HongQi-7 surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems and Crotale R440 SAMs. Only Russia delivered more arms to Iran; no other nation came close to matching that figure.
What’s more, Iran is second only to Russia in supplying arms to Syria, and from 2000 to 2014, 85 percent of the value of those arms came in the form of air defense systems and missiles.
In other words, Russia and China are the largest suppliers of air defense systems to Iran, while Russia and Iran are the largest suppliers of such systems to Syria. And because Iran is in cooperation with Syria (PDF) regarding ballistic missile technology, by arming Iran China is effectively arming Syria too.
It’s no secret that Syria and Iraq are, as one writer observes, “awash with Russian, Iranian, and Chinese weapons.” Nor is it surprising that Syrian rebels have been foundusing Chinese missile technology. But this wasn’t a calculated outcome by the Chinese; it’s an unavoidable consequence of being one of the world’s biggest arms dealers.
Read the full story at The Diplomat