He made this statement on January 31, during an interview to Axios on HBO, an American pay television network. “Never. Just not with me. I’m not in this office for life, but definitely not under my presidency”, stressed the head of Ukrainian state.
What is at issue is one of the largest engine manufacturers for airplanes and helicopters worldwide. Situated in the city of Zaporizhya, “Motor Sich” is also the only enterprise in Ukraine manufacturing engines for airplanes and helicopters as well as industrial gas turbine installations. Its products are exported to more than 100 countries.
In 2016, Chinese investors of the company Skyrizon bought corporate rights for “Motor Sich” but until today they cannot fully use their property because the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDCU) and other government bodies obstruct the work of the enterprise.
Last week, an urgent general meeting was to be held at the enterprise. The meeting was initiated by the Chinese investors. However, it was blocked by the Security Service due to the fact that criminal proceedings were opened.
The office of the Security Council informs that they have learned facts that preparations are going on to destroy the enterprise’s production facilities which are of great importance for the country’s defense and national economy. The Chinese responded by filing a lawsuit against Ukraine at the international court of arbitration. They demand 3.5 billion dollars of compensation.
On January 14, 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced it has added China’s Skyrizon Aviation to the list of Military End Users that threaten the national security of the United States because this particular company “has capability to develop, produce, or maintain military items, such as aircraft engines, satellites, and cruise missiles”. According to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Louis Ross, the Chinese Skyrizon is a state-owned and not a private company as the Chinese side claims. This company “is actively seeking to acquire intellectual property and technology to advance key military capabilities that threaten U.S. national security and its foreign interests”. Ross stressed that “sanctions are a warning to exporters concerning the ties of Skyrizon with the People’s Liberation Army of China”.
In the opinion of experts of the Ukrainian Center for Studies of the Army, Conversion and Disarmament, the takeover of the unique Ukrainian enterprise by the Chinese state company will result in direct threats to the country’s national security. There is a possibility that Russia may get the advanced technologies of manufacturing aircraft engines through Chinese companies. Thus, at the present time, China and the Russian Federation are working to implement joint projects on manufacturing helicopters which may use products of Motor Sich. Besides, there are threats to the military, political and technical cooperation that Ukraine now maintains with its NATO and European Union partners. A number of promising joint projects are expected to be launched in the sphere of aviation, naval forces, air and anti-ballistic missile defense. And these projects are extremely needed by Ukraine to build an efficient system of defense under the condition of the ongoing war conflict with the Russian Federation.
The newspaper Voice of Ukraine
