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Glossaries

China's Missile Imports and Assistance From Abroad

Although China now produces most of its missiles indigenously, it receives missile-related imports and assistance from a number of other countries. Although China has imported some complete systems, such as SAMs and certain other systems from Russia, China's emphasis in missile-related imports has been on expertise and technology, particularly technology that will facilitate indigenous production, which China strongly prefers to off-the-shelf buys. China's highest priority is technologies to improve the accuracy, stealth, fuel efficiency, and miniaturization of rocket systems.

For additional in-depth information on open-source reports of Chinese imports and assistance from abroad, please consult the CNS Missile Abstracts database.

CHINA'S MISSILE IMPORTS AND ASSISTANCE
 

COUNTRY
REPORTED AREA OF MISSILE-RELATED ASSISTANCE TO CHINA
BELARUS
  • MAZ mobile launcher six-axle chassis (same design as launcher for former Soviet SS-20) 

  • --Probably to be copied to improve performance and mobility of Chinese launchers 
    --Photographed in 1996 at Beijing Nanyuan missile plant
    --Possible relationship between launcher and China's DF-31 program
BRAZIL
  • Solid fuel rocket technology (in return for Chinese liquid fuel technology and missile guidance) (1985-) 
ISRAEL
  • Assistance in cruise missile development: 

  • --YF-12A
    --YJ-62
    --YJ-92 
    --Sharing of technology of Israeli land-attack cruise missile based on Star-1 attack drone (Beijing is contributing financially to missile's development) (1995)
  • Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation equipment  (1991)
  • Assistance in improving guidance of M-9 and DF-3 (CSS-2) ballistic missiles  
  • US Patriot anti-missile system technology: 

  • --Guidance and propulsion technology (in return for information on M-9 and M-11 ballistic missiles)
    --Reportedly used to develop countermeasures against Patriot for China's ballistic and cruise missiles 
  • US Python-3 air-to-air missiles (AAMs)
  • UAV

          --"Harpy" anti-radar drones (2002)

JAPAN
  • Electron beam machine (from Toshiba) (1992) 
RUSSIA
  • Cruise missiles: 


  • --Assistance in development of land-attack missile (1990s)
    --Assistance in development of anti-ship missiles (1990s)
    --Transfer of stealth technology for cruise missiles (1990s)
    --Raduga 3M-80 (SS-N-22 "Sunburn") anti-ship cruise missiles (along with four Sovremenny-class guided missile destroyers) (1996).  The first lot of 24 missiles were shipped 16 May 2000.  The second lot is to be delivered at the end of the year 2000.
    --Marketing of Raduga Kh-65SE air-launched missile (?)
    --Negotiation for transfer of the Kh-31A (AS-17 "Krypton") air-launched anti-ship missile
    --Assistance in development of the Kh-31P (AS-17 "Kryton") air-launched anti-radiation missile (1997-1998)
    --Transfer of KR-1 missiles (Chinese indigenous designation: YJ-91)
    --SS-N-19 anti-ship missile (?)

    --"Kashtan" naval-gun-and-missile complexes (1995)
    --"Moskit" supersonic anti-ship missiles (1997)
    --"Club" missile complex (2002)
  • ICBM technology and parts: 

  • --Attempted Chinese purchase of SS-18 ICBM technology (1990s)--ostensibly for improving China's civilian space-launch program using the SS-18 booster
  • Missile guidance: 

  • --Electronic equipment to improve missile accuracy (1990s) 
  • Rocket engines: 

  • --Three RD-170 engines for Zenit SLV (1991) (sold with Ukraine) 
  • Surface-to-air missiles (SAMs): 

  • -- S-300 PMU-1 [NATO designation SA-10/SA-N-6] SAMs (1990s)  
    --Tor-M1 short-range air defense missile complexes
  • Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) 

  • Missile Launchers:

          --"Smerch" multiple missile launcher (1995)

 

SOUTH AFRICA 
  • Missile technology  
UKRAINE
  • ICBM technology and parts: 

  • --Attempted Chinese purchase of SS-18 ICBM technology (1990s)--ostensibly for improving China's civilian space-launch program using the SS-18 booster
  • Rocket engines: 

  • -- Three RD-170 engines for Zenit SLV (1991) (sold with Ukraine)
UNITED KINGDOM
  • Missile engines: 

  • --Digital engine controls for K-8 jet trainer (could contribute to China's design of a long-range cruise missile) (1995)
UNITED STATES
  • Guidance technology:

  • --China may have developed the guidance system for its C-802 cruise missile using US technology
  • Machine tools:

  • --Diversion by China of six machine tools to the Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Company (which produces cruise missiles), sold by McDonnell Douglas to the China National Aero-Technology Import-Export Corporation (CATIC) in September 1994 
  • Missile engines [gas turbine engines (from AlliedSignal to Nanchang Aircraft Company)--could contribute to China's design of a long-range cruise missile]

  • --40 TFE731-2A-2A engines from AlliedSignal 
  • Satellite technology: 

  • --Integration analysis (possibly applicable to MIRV development) (1994) 
  • Supercomputers (possibly diverted to military use) 
  • Missile Technology
    --Hughes Electronic Corp. and Loral Space and Communications Ltd. transferred sensitive information regarding 1996 crash of a Long March rocket

[CHINA'S BALLISTIC MISSILE DESIGNATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS]

[CHINA'S CRUISE MISSILE DESIGNATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS]

[CHINA'S MISSILE EXPORTS]

[CHINA'S NUCLEAR IMPORTS AND ASSISTANCE FROM ABROAD]

Updated 03/26/2003


CNSThis material is produced independently for NTI by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, agents. Copyright © 2007 by MIIS.

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