In a major setback to China, Russia has announced suspension of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to Beijing and said the resumption of further deliveries is yet to be ascertained.
The Russian side could not name the timing for the resumption of deliveries. It has been almost five months since the supplies have stopped,” UAWire reported quoting Chinese newspaper Sohu.
“This time, Russia announced the postponement of the delivery of missiles for the Chinese S-400 system. To a certain extent, we can say that it is for the sake of China. Getting a gun is not as easy as signing an invoice after receiving a weapon,” it further said.
“They say that the work on delivering these weapons is quite complicated. While China has to send personnel for training, Russia also needs to send a lot of technical personnel to put the weapons into service,” Sohu said.
Post-Russia’s announcement, China has reportedly said that Moscow was forced to make such a decision as it “is worried that the delivery of S-400 missiles at this time will affect the anti-pandemic actions of the People’s Liberation Army and does not want to cause trouble to China.”
According to sources, in 2018, China received the first batch of S-400 missile.
The S-400 air defense missile system is considered the most advanced of its kind in Russia, capable of destroying targets at a distance of up to 400 kilometers and a height of up to 30 kilometers.
Russia’s suspension of S-400 missiles to China comes after Moscow had earlier accused Beijing of spying, despite the two countries enjoying considerably good relations over the years.
Advertisement
Author
