RIYADH (Middle East Eye) – A new investigation has found that Saudi Arabia is building ballistic missiles with the help of China, according to satellite images and U.S. intelligence.
The CNN exclusive on Saudi Arabia’s move was uncovered after satellite images suggested that the kingdom was manufacturing weapons in at least one location.
The images revealed a burn operation that occurred at a facility near Dawadmi, which was evidence that they were disposing of excess missile production.
When asked about any recent transfers of sensitive ballistic missiles technology between China and Saudi Arabia, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told CNN that the two countries are “comprehensive strategic partners” and “have maintained friendly cooperation in all fields, including in the field of military trade”.
Saudi Arabia is the world’s single largest arms importer and is known to have bought weapons from China in the past, but until now has never been able to build its own.
In March, a report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) found that Saudi Arabia saw a 61 percent increase in arms imports over the past five years.
Earlier this year, Riyadh announced it would invest more than $20bn in its domestic weapons industry, with a 2030 goal of spending around 50 percent of its military budget on local sources.
Saudi Arabia had previously sought to build weapons with the help of other nations, making it challenging to identify which weapons systems are being built at the facility seen in the satellite images, CNN quoted weapons expert Jeffrey Lewis as saying.
In recent months, U.S. officials at several agencies, including the National Security Council at the White House, have been briefed on classified intelligence revealing a number of large-scale transfers of sensitive ballistic missile technology between China and Saudi Arabia.