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China Nearly Doubles Prices on Export-Controlled Goods for Russia’s Military
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China has nearly doubled prices for export-controlled goods supplied to Russia’s defense industry since 2021, taking advantage of Moscow’s wartime dependence on Chinese technology and components, according to The Moscow Times on November 24.
Chinese exporters have sharply raised prices on export-controlled, often dual-use goods for weapons production, The Moscow Times reported, citing BOFIT research and media interviews. BOFIT stated that the average prices for such Chinese goods sold to Russia rose 87% between 2021 and 2024, compared with a 9% increase for other countries.
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A senior Western sanctions official said the price surge was a significant indirect constraint on Russia’s military capacity, stating: “If you increase the price of a good by 80%, you almost halve what they can actually buy.”
The Moscow Times reported that some Western governments view China’s steep markups on controlled items as additional pressure on Russia’s war economy, alongside efforts to cut its defense industry off from critical imports.
Despite public rhetoric about a strategic partnership, the source stated that both China and India primarily act in their own interests, and that Moscow has no genuine allies. “China does not behave like an ally. Sometimes it lets us down and stops payments, sometimes it takes advantage, sometimes it is outright robbery; there is nothing allied about it,” the source was quoted as saying.
Trade data underscore the scale of Russia’s exposure. According to BOFIT figures cited by The Moscow Times, bilateral trade between China and Russia reached a record $254 billion in 2024, up from $146.9 billion in 2021, with much of the increase driven by higher prices rather than larger volumes.
Imports of Chinese ball bearings, a key industrial and military input, rose 76% in dollar terms over that period, while their physical volume fell 13%, illustrating how higher prices, rather than greater quantities, have inflated trade values.
BOFIT concluded that sanctions have “limited Russia’s technological capabilities, making imports of critical goods more expensive,” with China now providing a significant share of both Russia’s export revenues through energy purchases and the technological products seen as vital for its armed forces.
A second source close to the Russian government stated that Russia’s military-industrial complex would struggle to function without Chinese supplies of electronics and components. “Without them, we would not have been able to manufacture a single missile, let alone drones, and the entire economy would have collapsed long ago. If they wanted to, the war would have been over long ago.”
Earlier reports indicated that China had become the primary foreign supplier of rare metals, such as gallium, germanium, and antimony, to Russian defense-linked firms, replacing Western exporters and providing materials essential for ammunition, drones, missiles, and even components for nuclear weapons.
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