A bipartisan duo of lawmakers are pressing the Biden administration to produce an assessment of the information Russia has obtained about U.S. military capabilities and the extent to which it has shared this intelligence with China.
Reps. John Moolenaar (R., Mich.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D., Ill.), the chair and ranking member of the House Select Committee on China, instructed the White House on Monday to provide them "an assessment regarding information Russia has gained about the capabilities of U.S. weapons provided to Ukraine and the degree to which this information has been shared with the People’s Republic of China ('PRC') as part of their bilateral ‘no limits’ partnership," according to a copy of the letter.
China serves as a key ally to Russia amid its ongoing war in Ukraine and has helped Moscow replenish its weapons supplies and other offensive capabilities. This support is not free, the lawmakers say, and "we should anticipate and indeed operate under the assumption that Russia is passing information about vulnerabilities or counters to American and allied weapons systems to the PRC." Intelligence sharing between China and Russia could help both nations counter the American military should war break out in the Asia-Pacific region—where Beijing has long threatened to invade Taiwan—or expand in Europe.
On the heels of a major NATO conference last week in Washington, D.C., the lawmakers remain concerned that Chinese aid is the primary reason Russia has been able to sustain its assault on Ukraine for so long, support that has come with little pushback from the international community.
"As the United States and our NATO allies described this week, the PRC has become a ‘decisive enabler’ of the Russian war in Ukraine. As one administration official has disclosed, the PRC is ‘90 percent of the reason’ Russia has been able to sustain its war effort and economy, particularly in the face of western sanctions," the lawmakers write. "The PRC has provided Russia with significant amounts of microelectronics, dual-use equipment, imagery, and other tools to support its war machine, in addition to helping improve satellite and other space-based capabilities."
In turn, Moscow is likely channeling the information it has ascertained about American weapons systems back to Beijing.
"We must be clear-eyed that Russian battlefield innovation is likely to proliferate to the PRC and other adversaries—and adapt ourselves accordingly," the lawmakers wrote to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
The committee leaders are asking the White House to provide them with an updated assessment on Russia’s "ability to mitigate or counter U.S. weapons systems in Ukraine," as well as the "extent to which Russia has shared lessons-learned from battlefield innovation in Ukraine with the PRC, especially as it pertains to U.S. weapons systems."
They are also seeking intelligence on whether China’s military has sought to "adopt lessons learned from the battlefield in Ukraine or mirror Russian military innovations."
Movement by the Chinese on this front could signal its intent to fend off the American military if an invasion of Taiwan becomes a reality.
The White House must also provide to Congress any plans it is developing "to ensure the future effectiveness of American weapons systems against both Russia and the PRC."