Sanctioned Russian Arms Smuggling Vessel Found In China's Largest Ship Repair Facility

China is providing moorage to a US-sanctioned Russian cargo vessel implicated in the North Korean arms transfers to Russia, per satellite images obtained by Reuters, as the US concerns regarding Beijing’s support for Moscow’s war in Ukraine grow.

Britain’s Royal United Services Institute (abbreviated as RUSI) think tank declared that Russia’s vessel, Angara — which since August last year has moved to Russia’s ports with thousands of containers believed to comprise North Korean munitions — has been anchored at one of China’s shipyard in eastern Zhejiang province from this year (February).

The ship’s presence at the Chinese port underscores the challenges the US and its allies encounter as they attempt to choke off Russia’s military and economic backing.

With Ukraine under a renewed Russian assault and falling short on its ammunition, US officials have issued warnings on what they think is China’s help in rebuilding Russia’s military after the initial setbacks of the latter in the ongoing Ukraine war.

That support can top the agenda this week as Blinken, the Secretary of State Antony, visits Beijing.

Kurt Campbell, the second-ranked diplomat of the State Department, said this month that Washington wouldn’t simply “sit by” if Beijing boosted its backing for Moscow.

A spokesperson associated with the American State Department said he was aware of credible, open-source reports that Angara is now moored at a Chinese port and had taken up the issue with relevant Chinese authorities.

The official urged member states to fulfil their obligations under UNSCR 2397, referring to a UN resolution that restricts trade with North Korea and requires UN states to deregister vessels engaged in unlawful activities.

Referring to China and North Korea by the initials of their official names, the spokesperson said that this week, when Blinken meets his PRC counterparts, he will address a host of concerns, including the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine and Russia-DPRK relations.

RUSI obtained some satellite pictures in recent months from firms, including San Francisco-based Earth imaging major Planet Labs PBC, which indicated the Angara being docked at Zhoushan Xinya Shipyard based in Zhejiang, which its website mentions is the greatest private Chinese ship repair company.

The vessel was recognized by its automatic identification system transponder, which was turned on just briefly, plausibly for safety motives, while sailing through a busy stretch of the Korean Strait en route to China.

RUSI mentioned that before reaching China on 9 February for maintenance or repairs, the Angara was docked in January at Russian and North Korean ports with the transponder switched off. It again stopped transmitting shortly after reaching China.

The ship, sanctioned by the US in May 2022, had performed 11 deliveries between the North Korean port of Russia and Rajin ports from August last year, per RUSI, which has been closely tracking the movements as part of an undertaking to utilize open-source data for the monitoring of the North Korean sanctions-evasion networks.

China’s embassy in Washington said it was unaware of the details related to the Angara but stated that China always chooses to oppose unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction with no basis in international law or mandate from the Security Council.

China’s foreign ministry mentioned it had no information on the matter.

The US, along with other countries, declared earlier in 2024 that North Korea’s weapons transfers to Russia “flagrantly” violate considerable UN Security Council resolutions.

Joseph Byrne, a research fellow associated with RUSI, said the Chinese government needs to know that its shipyard allowed the US-sanctioned vessel to be docked.

Byrne said that if it allowed the Angara to sail out of the port without examination and had recently been repaired, then it shows that China may not take any action against the Russian vessels.

Washington has constantly requested China not to assist Moscow’s ongoing war effort since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which came just some weeks after Russia and China announced a “no limits partnership.”

Blinken last week criticized China’s support for the Russian defence industry, declaring that Beijing was the key contributor to Moscow’s war in Ukraine through the provision of critical elements for weaponry.

The Russian foreign ministry and the Zhoushan Xinya Shipyard didn’t respond to requests for Angara comments.

The firm’s official website says that its clients come from all over Europe, the US, and Asia and that it shares strategic cooperation with worldwide shipping firms, including Maersk and Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine Corp., along with partnerships with European tech firms.

North Korea and Russia have repeatedly dismissed the criticisms regarding the alleged delivery of weapons.

Moscow declares that it will develop ties with whatever nations it wants and that its partnership with Pyongyang doesn’t contradict the international pacts.

Campbell notified attendees at an event in Washington on Monday that the growing North Korean and Chinese partnership with Russia was antithetical to US security interests in Europe and the Indo-Pacific.

Reference: Japan Times

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