CHINESE DRAGON TRIES ON UKRAINIAN ARMOR Beijing expects it to fit

These days Ukrainian generals visit China more often than Russia, their strategic partner. Last week the Minister of Defense of Ukraine went to the Chinese People’s Republic on an official visit. Earlier China received the chief of the General Staff. In Beijing General Oleksandr Kuzmuk met his Chinese colleague Chi Khao Tian. He also visited a tank division and naval base of the People’s Liberation Army accompanied by the head of Chinese People’s Republic Tsian Tse Min.

According to his press secretary, Minister of Defense Kuzmuk will develop the agreements signed during the visit of the Prime Minister of Ukraine to China. Recalling December events, we should point out that among the documents signed by Valery Pustovoitenko was one concerning bilateral military and technical cooperation. Ever since the agreement was signed Kyiv has seemed willing to take advantage of Chinese eagerness to strengthen its defense where this country invests tremendous sums of money. (English analysts estimated that last year China spent about $30 billion on defense.) However, the Ukrainian military industrial complex gets only crumbs of this pie because China does not actually want to buy weapons but mainly wants to get the military know how to apply it in its own military production.

When Chinese Defense Minister Chi Khao Tian was in Kyiv, he claimed that China was interested in cooperation with Ukraine in space research, along with the construction of airplanes, tanks, and ships. Clearly, Ukraine is far ahead in these areas. Chinese generals take great interest in Ukrainian computer-based control systems for troops and weapons. And they are also attracted to our electronic warfare systems which they are ready to buy them. In the meanwhile Ukraine, China, and Pakistan are cooperating in designing a new MBT-2000 tank for the Pakistani army to be tested this summer.

Photo by Leonid Bakka, The Day:
Ukrainian tank builders are convinced that their products will not be affected by the natural conditions in China