China prominent among countries involved in stealing missile tech

Tribune News Service

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, April 30

Sweden-based think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has named China as a prominent country involved in stealing of hardware and software relating to missile technologies.

The report of the SIPRI released globally on April 29 is about details of “Intangible transfers of technology and software challenges for the Missile Technology Control Regime” (MTCR). The MTCR — that has 35 countries as its signatories — has rules and framework preventing specific missile launch, missile tracking and missile interception technology from being shared.

The report said: “China in particular, through its civil-military fusion strategy, but also Iran and North Korea have been found to take advantage of academic relations or the idea that universities are non-threatening towards end users who acquire controlled software and technology.”

China has been active in sending scientists to work at Western universities in fields such as hypersonic flight and heat-resistant aerospace materials while seeking opportunities to establish joint research centres. Some of the scientists concealed their association with conglomerates involved in developing and supplying missiles to the Chinese military, the report said. The report says the use of intermediaries, is a common strategy in illicit procurement of relevant software and technology.

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