According to a report on the “Times of India” website on June 12, Trump may again withdraw from an important arms control agreement, the “Missile Technology Control Agreement,” with the goal of exporting U.S. drones to more countries.
[US Northrop Grumman's "Global Hawk" UAV]
"Missile Technology Control Agreement" MTCR was established by the Group of Seven (G7) in 1987 It was established in April 2008 to control the proliferation of unmanned nuclear weapon delivery systems and technologies, especially those that can carry 500 kilograms of payload and fly over 300 kilometers. At the annual meeting held in Oslo from June 29 to July 2, 1992, member states agreed to expand the scope of MTCR control to include unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) capable of carrying weapons of mass destruction. It is this expanded control that restricts the export of U.S. drones. It is worth noting that although the export control objects of the MTCR agreement include countries that have not signed the agreement and countries that have signed the agreement, according to the memorandum of the agreement, NATO member states are allowed to provide controlled systems and technologies to each other.
[The list of 35 countries that have joined the MTCR and the year they joined]
In the following decades, the MTCR’s signatories expanded to 35. China is not a member of the MTCR, but China has long expressed its agreement to abide by the original 1987 guidelines and annexes, but not the subsequent revised version. Later, China and the United States stated in a joint statement in October 1997 that they agreed to negotiate "on the basis of the 1994 Joint Declaration on the Non-Proliferation of Missiles." In 2004, China applied to join the MTCR, but because its members were not satisfied with China’s export control standards, they did not agree to grant China membership.
Although China is not a member of MTCR, the missiles exported by China have always complied with the principles of MTCR, with a range of no more than 300 kilometers and a payload of no more than 500 kg. (When China and Saudi Arabia reached an agreement to export Dongfeng-3 ballistic missiles, the MTCR agreement had not yet taken effect).
[MQ-9 Reaper UAV of General Atomics of the United States]
Although the United States is a member of MTCR, it has already violated the agreement. Japan and South Korea are not members of NATO. The United States should have banned the export of long-endurance drones to Japan and South Korea. However, Japan received its first Global Hawk drone in 2018, and South Korea did so in April 2020. Won the "Global Hawk".
Of course, the United States led the drafting of the MTCR agreement. The United States can explain it whatever it wants. Japan and South Korea are the United States' "allies" in East Asia and are also members of the MTCR, so it is easy to negotiate. However, the U.S. watched as China’s "Pterosaur" and "Rainbow" series of UAVs are selling well in the Middle East and have achieved brilliant results in actual combat. These results have been advertised for Chinese UAVs. However, due to the restrictions of the MTCR agreement, it was unable to export drones to the Middle East countries, and now the United States is finally unable to sit still.
[China’s "Pterosaur II" drone is a popular item in the international market]
This time the United States proposed to amend the terms of the MTCR agreement for export to controlled countries Drone. According to reports, Jordan, Romania, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have all expressed interest in buying U.S. long-endurance drones. The United States intends to reinterpret the MTCR agreement regarding the handling of drones with speeds below 800 km/h. The MTCR agreement currently classifies such UAVs as "cruise missiles" and is therefore subject to higher export restrictions. According to the reinterpretation of the United States, these drones will be regarded as lower-level drones outside the jurisdiction of MTCR. The "Global Hawk" of Northrop Grumman and the "Reaper" drones of General Atomics belong to this category.
In the recent period, the US government led by Trump has unilaterally withdrawn from the Intermediate-Range-Range-Range Treaty and the Open Sky Treaty, which has seriously damaged international peace and stability. Withdraw from more treaties, the people of the world willNot surprised.
What will be the result of the amendment to the MTCR agreement by the United States? You know, the United States is not the only country that can produce long-endurance drones. Countries such as Russia, France, Turkey and non-signatories of the MTCR agreement, China and Israel, can all produce long-endurance drones. Since the United States no longer complies with export restrictions, don't blame other countries for not complying with export restrictions. In addition to drones, there are missiles. China is not a signatory to the MTCR, so China can theoretically ignore the export restrictions on missiles with a range of 300 kilometers, and the cost-effectiveness of Chinese products is known to customers who have used them.
If you want to open Pandora's box, it will not be easy to close it.
(Author: extra padding copyrighted works without permission is prohibited reproduced)
