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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States is deeply concerned by a report that Russia has a secret war drones project in China that appears to be an instance of a Chinese company providing lethal assistance to a U.S.-sanctioned Russian firm, a White House spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The United States has not seen anything to suggest that the People's Republic of China (PRC) was aware of these transactions or that there has been any government involvement in providing lethal aid to Russia, said a spokesperson for the National Security Council (NSC).
"However, the PRC government also has a responsibility to ensure its companies are not providing lethal assistance," the spokesperson said.
Russia has established a weapons program in China to develop and produce long-range attack drones for use in the war against Ukraine, according to two sources from a European intelligence agency and documents reviewed by Reuters.
"These transactions are further evidence that the PRC government's efforts are clearly not meeting the mark," the NSC spokesperson said.
The United States is prepared to take immediate action against the Chinese companies identified in the Reuters report as well as look into which banks facilitated the transactions with a sanctioned Russian entity, the spokesperson said.
Washington will also coordinate with its European counterparts on next steps.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Doina Chiacu;Editing by David Ljunggren)
