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China's Missile Exports and Assistance to Saudi Arabia
From 1987-1989, China transferred about 36 DF-3 (CSS-2) missiles to Saudi Arabia for $3 billion. The sale included the construction of the launch complex, training, and post-sale systems maintenance. The transfer followed a 1985 US refusal to sell Saudi Arabia Lance missiles. At the time, China's sale caused some controversy in the West, and some were concerned that the DF-3 (CSS-2) missiles could deliver nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction. However, China and Saudi Arabia both insisted that the missiles had been modified to carry only conventional warheads, and that the Saudi government had pledged not to use the missiles first and not to retransfer them to any other country. Although the sale was somewhat controversial, it did not generate any notable international response.
On 6 April 1988, during a news conference after the First Session of the Seventh National People's Conference, Chinese Foreign Minister Wu Xueqian stated:
- "At the request of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we have sold some
non-nuclear, conventional surface-to-surface missiles to Saudi Arabia. The
Saudi Government has committed itself not to transfer and not to be the
first to use these missiles but to use them entirely for defense purposes."
[Beijing TV, 6 April 1988, in FBIS Special Memorandum, 18 December
1991.]
Since then, there have been no reports of controversial Chinese missile or related technology transfers to Saudi Arabia, although China has reportedly trained Saudi missile technicians in China. In 1997, Saudi Arabia approached China for possible replacements for the aging DF-3 missiles.
For additional information on open-source reports of Chinese exports and assistance, please consult the CNS Missile Abstracts database.
[CHINA'S MISSILE EXPORTS AND ASSISTANCE TO THE MIDDLE EAST]
This
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.
