from:www.kommersant.com/page.asp?idr=529&id=637658



Russia Builds Chinese Navy
Arm Export

Today, in Severodvinsk there will be a ceremony of delivery to China’s Naval Forces a submarine of project 636. Before the end of this year, China will receive another submarine and destroyer of project 956EM. The naval contracts for China amounted to almost half of Russian arms export this year.


Submarines belonging to the East China Sea Fleet detachment participate in a military exercise in the East China Sea.

Russian state mediator Rosoboronexport signed with the Chinese Defense Ministry the $2 billion contract for eight submarines of project 636 armed with missile complex Club-S on May 3, 2002. The contracts for building five subs were given to “Admiralty Shipyards,” to Sevmashpredpriyatie (two), and to Krasnoye Sormovo (one). The main submarine, which was built in St. Petersburg, the client received a year ago. Today, Sevmashpredpriyatie delivers to China its first sub. The second will be ready before the end of the year.


Photo: Sergey Semyenov
China''s Army Officer holds the flag of China during the handing over of destroyer Vdumchivy to the China People'' Liberation Army. Deputy commander-in-chief of the China People'' Liberation Army Khe Penfei took part in the ceremony.


Photo: China Newsphoto, Reuters
A missile is launched from a Chinese submarine during a China-Russia joint military exercise in eastern China's Shandong peninsula, August 23, 2005. China and Russia started the third phase of the "Peace Mission 2005" joint military exercise on Tuesday. The exercise runs for eight days and involves nearly 10,000 military personnel from the two countries. Picture taken on August 23, 2005.



The arm export volume for the Chinese Navy will reach $2.2 billion this year. In St. Petersburg, North Shipyards will deliver the first destroyer 956EM for the Chinese. Rosoboronexport and Chinese Defense Ministry signed $1.4 billion contract for building two such ships in January of 2002.

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Currently, China is building its own destroyers. For instance, shipyards in Shanghai and Dalyan in the last five years put on the water five destroyers of different projects and four more are being built. According to some information, naval design company North PKB was participating in designing new Chinese destroyers. These Chinese ships of project 052B are armed with Russian-made missile complex Still, and destroyers of project 051C –with more lethal complex S-300EF Reef-M.

by  Alexandra Gritskova, St. Petersburg; Konstantin Lantratov, Mikhail Barabanov


Russian Article as of Dec. 22, 2005