Beijing’s huge support for Russian aggression against Ukraine part of larger threatening posture, air marshal tells Commons committee
A British Challenger 2 tank in Estonia where UK forces are taking part in Operation Cabrit Credit: Ben Birchall/PA
Tom Cotterill Defence Editor
Tom Cotterill is The Telegraph’s acting defence editor. He has previously written for The Daily Mail and MailOnline. A former award-winning Defence Correspondent for a daily paper in Portsmouth, Tom has been a reporter since 2011. He can be contacted on tom.cotterill@telegraph.co.uk or on X @TomCotterillX
03 February 2026
China has become the main financial backer for Russia’s war against Ukraine, MPs have been told.
Air Marshal Ed Stringer, a former head of RAF intelligence, said Beijing was “covertly” ramping up its support for Moscow as it sought to gain an economic advantage over the West.
“China has discretely built supply lines going to drone factories in Russia,” he told the Commons defence committee on Tuesday.
“Open source suggests 60 per cent of the Russian war effort is being covertly bankrolled by China… so there’s a huge amount of support from China.”
The retired officer added: “Russia can only maintain this war because China is essentially bankrolling it.”
Observers fear China poses an increasing threat to the UK, with Beijing-backed hackers having targeted the phones of aides to former prime ministers Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak in an effort to steal government secrets.
At the same time, concerns have been raised after the Government chose to approve plans for a Chinese super-embassy in London, which The Telegraph revealed would be located alongside some of the City’s most sensitive communications cables.
On Tuesday, MPs were warned Beijing was seeking economic dominance over the West and could use its influence over Moscow to “distract” Nato while it builds up its own military.
Leading defence academics warned Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, could put pressure on Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader, to attack Estonia, where hundreds of British troops are deployed on a mission to protect Nato’s eastern flank.
Sir Hew Strachan, a Wardlaw professor of international relations at University of St Andrews, told MPs China was seeking “opportunities” to tie up the West, if Russia agrees a peace deal with Ukraine.
Asked whether Beijing could “encourage” such an attack, Sir Hew said: “If it continues to result in cheap Russian oil coming into China, then possibly it would have an incentive to do that.”
British troops are gathering in Estonia as part of a training exercise involving 1,250 soldiers from across the Nato alliance, including France, America and Estonia.
UK forces are deployed to the country under Operation Cabrit, which is Britain’s contribution to Nato’s forward land forces across Estonia and Poland, with the Royal Tank Regiment having been in Estonia since September last year.
Lt Col Mark Luson, the regiment’s commanding officer, insisted Britain was ready for any mission, adding: “Nato here feels stronger than ever.”
Air Marshal Stringer said he did not believe China would want to “foment a conflict”.
“But it would be very happy to see Europe tied up spending a lot of its GDP on defence against something that looks like a frozen conflict around Ukraine and Belarus,” he added.
The warning came as Putin showed little sign of ending his onslaught against Ukraine, which will mark its fourth anniversary later this month.
Russia launched one of its most intensive attacks overnight on Monday, using more than 70 missiles and 450 attack drones against Ukraine’s energy network, plunging parts of Kyiv into darkness, said Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president.
It is unclear how many of the drones used were produced with aid from China.
However, the barrage left more than 1,000 tower blocks in the capital without heating as temperatures plunged to -20C and damaged a power plant in the capital beyond repair.
The Russian strike took place halfway through a truce on energy infrastructure attacks that was supposed to last a week, according to Donald Trump, and before Russian, Ukrainian and American negotiators were due to meet in Abu Dhabi for the next round of peace talks on Wednesday.
Comment from :
Howard Stollery
It is a wondrous thing that China can build a massive structure in central London while having the world’s largest spy force, with malevolent purpose against the UK and Western Civil societies. In approving this, the government is committing treason. In giving away Chagos it is defeating its allies, especially in the United States. And Canada. Treason will need independent investigation should the Labour government ever be defeated.
Chris Mooney
Has China’s strategy just dawned on Tom Coterill? Surely it has been obvious for months, if not years that it is very much in China’s interest for a prolonged war between Russia and Ukraine, simultaneously depleting Russia and the West generally of weapons, funds and willpower. It’s never as simple as ‘we want cheap oil’ or Xi and Putin BFFL. What would really delight Xi is if European and US boots are ever on the ground in Ukraine; he’s probably over the moon about the US deploying a carrier group to the Med and another to the Caribbean. Massive cost to the West, zero cost to China.
Ricardo Almeida
Why don’t we just give Ukraine the long range missiles they badly need? If Russians start freezing the pressure to get rid of Putin will be huge from inside Russia.
Wilhelm Goat
once there is agreement on Ukraine and the NATO rapid reaction force is tied down peacekeeping in Ukraine, Russia will take a punt on NATO resolve by going into the Baltics.
Dalton Knox
China’s bankrolling of Putin’s war is conveniently overlooked by Canada, the UK and the EU as they cosy up to Xi.
Hairy Plotter
Have read also, that China has earmarked Entire Production Lines of future critical drone parts as being already sold to ruzzki’s. Hopefully the drone plant currently breaking ground in Plymouth will be online, and well staffed in time.
Isla White
Penalise them! Huge tarrifs on their cars freeze that idiotic planning decision on their spy base/ embassy, for God’s sake, DO SOMETHING!
Hugh Jaas
Shut the door to Chinese exports until they stop funding snd supplying our enemy. They a choice to make.
S Penry
Only give them the Embassey if they stop Putin in his tracks. I am sure they could exert huge pressure.
The West is being led by ignoramuses, greedy bitches, and spineless cowards. Sorry, can’t say it enough.