Byron Wan@Byron_Wan
🇨🇳 state-owned military trading company China National Electronics Import & Export Corporation (CEIEC) is providing construction support for a large-scale weapons manufacturing plant in Belarus, a key Russian ally, internal documents show.
Transaction records indicate that 🇨🇳 CEIEC and a Belarusian partner have signed import-export contracts under which China will supply manufacturing equipment to produce key components for rocket ammunitions. Preparations for construction have already begun.
Under the contracts, the facility to be built in Belarus will house a production line for warhead components for 122-millimeter rocket ammunitions that have been widely used by Russian forces in Ukraine. The plan initially envisions output equivalent to 120,000 rounds a year, with operations slated to begin in the second half of 2026.
China has repeatedly denied providing military support to Russia and Belarus as Moscow's invasion of Ukraine proceeds. The documents, however, suggest a 🇨🇳 state-owned enterprise may be profiting from weapons-related assistance — an allegation that could violate US and European sanctions policy concerning the war in Ukraine.
The documents were provided by BELPOL, a Belarusian opposition group based outside the country. The group said it obtained them from multiple sources cooperating from within the Belarusian defense-industrial sector. The materials include contracts between the Belarusian and Chinese companies, transaction records and minutes of meetings.
According to the documents, 🇨🇳 CEIEC signed a contract in Beijing on Dec 20, 2023, with ZTEM (Precise Electro-Mechanics Plant), a Belarusian state-owned defense-related enterprise, to design and supply a production line for "122-mm rocket warhead components."
The new line is to handle a critical stage of production, namely loading warheads with high explosives such as TNT. The Belarusian side agreed on a payout worth $26.8 million yuan, the contract says. Services to be provided by the Chinese side include supplying related equipment and technical documentation, as well as a one-month training program in China for 15 Belarusian staff.
The contract stipulates that the agreement will be completed 26 months after signing. It also states that Chinese specialists are to first participate at the Belarusian plant in producing 500 prototype units and then supervise Belarusian personnel during subsequent production.
In 2025, specialists from the two companies and their partners discussed architectural design and technical details. Minutes from an online meeting on Nov 14 show participants confirming that equipment would be installed beginning in Mar 2026, with completion set for July.

The warhead components appear intended for export to Russia. Related documents show that on Oct 18, 2023, ZTEM obtained a certificate of conformity for cases used to transport fuses for 122-mm rockets, with a Russian certification body conducting the inspection.
CEIEC has long provided military technology to authoritarian countries including Iran and Venezuela. The state-owned company was placed under US sanctions in 2020.
Since the war in Ukraine began in 2022, Belarusian defense companies have supplied large quantities of equipment to Russia's military. The 122-mm warhead components to be produced at the new factory have a range of ~20km and match the specifications of Russia's BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher.
Russian forces have deployed many of these low-accuracy launchers in their drive to conquer Ukrainian land. As a result, the rockets frequently hit residential areas and private facilities by mistake, resulting in civilian casualties.
asia.nikkei.com/politics/ukrai…
