China to import Russian tech and expertise to boost low-altitude defences: state media

Deal signed between Chinese firm and Russian aviation engineering institution comes as Beijing and Moscow step up military cooperation

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Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping met for at the Brics summit last month, just weeks before a deal was struck to import aviation tech to China from Russia. Photo: Reuters

Published: 12:00pm, 6 Nov 2024Updated: 3:34pm, 6 Nov 2024

A Chinese security company and a Russian university have had “extensive interactions” over importing Russian aviation technology, including low-altitude counter-drone technology, according to Chinese state media.

A Chinese company specialising in emergency technology and security services – Guangxi Xinhang Shengjie Emergency Industrial Park Management Company – signed a deal on Monday with Russia’s Ufa State Aviation Technical University, a leading centre for aviation engineering, to bring in low-altitude drone defence technology, China News Service reported on Tuesday.

“China and Russia held extensive interactions on topics such as bringing in Russian aviation technology and low-altitude drone defence technology,” the report said. The signing took place in Wuzhou in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in southern China.

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Under the deal, the Russian university will send experts to China to provide long-term support in areas such as technology, talent training and teaching, according to the report.

The Chinese side also planned to boost its low-altitude equipment manufacturing operations by adapting Russian heavy-lift helicopters and drone technology, it said.

The Chinese company plans to make drones “designed for long-range flights, heavy loads and high safety standards” that are suited to “emergency rescue, logistics delivery, industrial and agricultural work and security patrols”, with an eye to domestic and international markets, according to the report.

It comes as China and Russia have stepped up military cooperation in recent years amid pressure from the United States and its allies.