Chinese Missiles Bound for Terrorists Raise Concerns on China

[Valin]

Around Asia: Gordon G. Chang

3/6/13

 

On Saturday, the New York Times reported that in January US and Yemeni forces seized ten sophisticated heat-seeking Chinese-made antiaircraft missiles on an Iranian dhow bound for a Shiite terror group, an Iranian proxy, in northwestern Yemen. These “extremely worrisome” shoulder-fired weapons are highly sought after by terror groups and represent a major threat to military and civilian aircraft alike.

 

These weapons, Chinese QW-series man-portable air-defense systems, or manpads, had markings indicating they were manufactured by the China National Precision Machinery Import and Export Corporation, a Chinese state enterprise. American and Yemeni officials also reported finding other weapons hidden on the vessel, including 95 RPG-7 launchers, 17,000 blocks of Iranian C-4 plastic explosives, Russian-made night-vision goggles, and 379,000 cartridges for PK machine guns and Kalashnikov rifles. The Times’s headline read, “Seized Chinese Weapons Raise Concerns on Iran.” It should have read, “Seized Chinese Missiles Raise Concerns on China.”

 

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And in the last year or so, Chinese manpads have also been sighted in other locations. In addition to the hold of the Iranian dhow, they have been found in the arsenal of the United Wa State Army in Burma, a private army, and in the hands of Syrian rebels. Images of Syrian rebels holding Chinese FN-6 manpads were shown on CCTV 13, one of the channels of the Chinese state broadcaster. The FN-6 is a new system and few, if any, of them are on the black market, suggesting direct Beijing involvement. The CCTV footage makes it clear Beijing at least knows what is going on.

 

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Disturbing to say the least.