Will Russia sell China its Su-35? - Reuben F. Johnson

Here is the dilemma. Russia is eager to sell the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) its fighter planes Su-35, but fears China might reverse-engineer its airplane. Defense specialist Reuben F. Johnson explains in Jane's how the negotiations develop.

Reuben F. Johnson:

A source in the Russian government told the influential Moscow daily Kommersant : "The two sides are in practical agreement regarding the delivery to the PRC [People's Republic of China] of 48 Su-35s at a cost of USD4 billion." 

However, reports on this sale continue with the additional detail that "an unanticipated obstacle to the deal has emerged. Moscow is requiring that Beijing provide a legally binding guarantee that it will refrain from making reverse-engineered copies of the Russian fighter - largely so that this does not create a potential competitor in the market to sell the aircraft to other countries. China is no hurry to provide this guarantee." 

Russian sources close to the Federal Service for Military-Technical Co-operation (FSVTS) state that such a guarantee "is an essential condition" of the sale. Some of the same industry sources point out that the Chinese have used their assistance from Russia or have copied designs to create competitors for almost every class of combat aircraft that Russian industry offers for export and they do not want a repeat of this experience.

More in Jane's. Or read the full article here.

Reuben F. Johnson is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers' request form.

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China spies trouble Sino-Russian relationship - Reuben F. Johson

Reuben F. Johnson

A trip by president Vladimir Putin to Beijing in the second week of October was shadowed by the discovery of a Chinese spy network in Russia, writes defense specialist Reuben F. Johnson in The Washington Times. Arms trade from Russia to China was already dwindling.

Reuben F. Johnson:

Russia’s concerns with China begin with a fall-off in arms exports. Beginning in the 1990s, Russia enjoyed a brisk trade with China in sales of arms and defense technology, at the time a lifeline of badly needed revenue. 

Sukhoi Su-27SK and Su-30MKK fighter jets, surface combatant warships and the effective Almaz-Antei S-300 air- and missile-defense systems sold to Beijing were major moneymakers for Moscow. 

In recent years, however, Beijing’s purchases dwindled to a few specialized technologies — mainly fighter-jet engines, helicopters and air-defense systems. “These are the only remaining systems that the Chinese have not yet been able to illegally copy,” said a Moscow-based analyst who consults with Russian and EU national defense industry policymakers. 

Now Mr. Putin wants to make it clear that defense technology fromRussia must be purchased by China and not stolen, the analyst said. 

As if to send home the message, just prior to Mr. Putin’s visit, theRussian government arrested a Moscow-based Chinese national, Tun Shenyun. Mr. Tun was identified as a Ministry of State Security (MSS) spy operating under cover as a translator assisting visiting Chinese delegations.

More in the Washington Times.

Reuben F. Johnson is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers' request form.

Related articles

• Russia's Putin Visits Beijing: Friendly Neighbors or Strategic Competitors? (globalspin.blogs.time.com)
• Defense expert Reuben F. Johnson joins China Speakers Bureau (chinaspeakersbureau.info)
• More Chinese espionage, this time against Russia (thuytinhvo.wordpress.com)