Indirect Military Aid to Russia? China Installs Artillery Shell Facilities in Ally Belarus

According to Financial News, a Chinese state-owned company has been found to be exporting facilities for the production of 122mm rockets to Belarus, a military ally of Russia.
On the 23rd, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported that China National Electronics Import & Export Corporation (CEIEC), a Chinese state-owned military trading company, signed a contract in December 2023 with the Belarusian state defense firm Precision Electromechanics Plant (ZTEM) to design and supply a production line for 122mm rocket warhead components. The facilities are designed to produce up to 120,000 rounds per year, with operations slated to begin in the second half of 2026.
The facilities will handle a key process: filling warheads with explosives such as trinitrotoluene (TNT). The contract is worth about 26.8 million dollars (approximately 38.8 billion won) and includes the provision of equipment, materials, and technical documentation, as well as technical training in China for 15 Belarusian personnel.
The warhead components produced there are widely expected to be exported to Russia. According to related documents, ZTEM obtained conformity certification in October 2023 from a Russian certification body for transport cases used with fuzes for 122mm rockets.
The 122mm rockets are used in the BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher, which the Russian military has deployed in large numbers on the Ukrainian battlefield. The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) estimated in a 2024 report that Russia’s annual production of 122mm rockets will exceed 500,000 rounds. If the Belarusian plant supplies its entire output to Russia, it would add roughly 20% to that volume.
CEIEC has a track record of providing military technology to authoritarian states such as Iran and Venezuela. It was sanctioned by the United States in 2020 under the first Donald Trump administration for allegedly supporting the Maduro regime in Venezuela.
Nikkei noted, "China has so far denied providing military support related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but this newly uncovered case of indirect assistance could influence future US and European policy toward China."
The report added that as Donald Trump, ahead of a planned visit to China in April, appears to be prioritizing economic dealings with Beijing and European leaders are also expanding diplomatic engagement with China, public opinion favoring a tougher stance on China is likely to grow stronger.
CEIEC did not respond to questions regarding the deal, while ZTEM stated, "We cannot comment because this is a special production facility."
whywani@fnnews.com Hong Chae-wan Reporter