Iranian customs data show China made about 1,300 shipments of dual-use components to Iran‘s Ministry of Defense in 2026 through the end of June. The items can be used in drones and missile guidance systems.
Chinese-supplied satellite imagery has been linked by US officials to an Iranian strike on US forces on 17 July 2026. Chinese companies also helped provide chemical precursors used to manufacture the ballistic missiles used in that attack.
Efforts Category: China’s Military Support of Iran
China has become the largest source of seized goods bound for Yemen’s Houthis, according to UN reports and data gathered by arms experts. Most of the Houthis’ US-sanctioned drone-parts suppliers are based in China.
In late August 2026, Yemen’s National Resistance Forces, an anti-Houthi faction, seized cargo bound for the Houthis that included wireless data radios manufactured in Chengdu, China, which can be used to command drones. The shipment also included screens manufactured in China’s Guangdong province that can be used with naval drones to display their position and speed.
About 35% of Houthi-bound military items seized between 2021 and 2025 originated in China, up from about 5% between 2015 and 2018. About 65% of the entities the US has sanctioned for selling drones or drone components to the Houthis were based in China.
Efforts Category: China’s Military Support of the Houthis (long-term)
