Security agencies have seized a Chinese shipment of internationally banned chemicals apparently intended for Pakistan’s Chemical and Biological Warfare program at a port in Tamil Nadu. The consignment included “Ortho-Chloro-Benzylidene Malononitrile” (CS), a chemical used as teargas and riot control agent. Customs authorities seized the shipments raising concerns due to the large-scale chemical which is listed under international agreements and India’s export control list.
CS is a dual used chemical listed under international agreements and India’s export control list. While it has civilian applications as riot control agents, the sheer quantity seized raises concern about its potential military use. Officials indicated that this seizure highlights an alleged proliferation network between China and Pakistan. The involvement of Chinese companies in supplying components to Pakistan ballistic missile program further deepens the concern over proliferation activities.
The 2,560 kg shipment originated from Chinese firm, Chengdu Shichen Trading Company Limited and was consigned to Rohail enterprises, a Rawalpindi based defence supplier in Pakistan. Stored in 103 drums of 25 kg each, the cargo was loaded on a vessel Hyundai and Shanghai (sailing under Cyprus flag) on April 18, 2024 at Shanghai Port, China. The Karachi bound vessel reached Kattupalli port (Tamil Nadu) on May 8, 2024.
The customs authorities after routine checking detained the consignment was a listed substance under the Wassenaar Arrangement, of which India is a signatory, they said. The shipment was seized under the provisions of Customs Act 1982, and Weapons of Mass Destruction and Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities Act 2005).
Pakistan and its all-weather friend, the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) are not signatories to the Wassenaar Arrangement. Established in July 1996, the Wassenaar Arrangement is a voluntary export control regime. There are 42 members in the grouping. Members share information on conventional weapons transfers and dual use goods and technologies.
According to officials, the large quantity of shipment raised concerns over its potential military use, more so given the internal conflicts in Pakistan, where security forces have been trying to suppress movements in Balochistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK). The seizure of the consignment also comes amid reports of China supplying other dual use items to Pakistan.
It also underscores the complicity of China supplying other dual use items to Pakistan’s military advancements, with previous incidents pointing towards the pattern of supplying dual use items and controlled substances. Earlier in March 2024, the security agencies confiscated high precision computer numerical control (CNC) machinery destined for Pakistan’s defence industry. In April, the US sanctioned three Chinese companies for supplying components to Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme.
International regulations and covenants have been blatantly violated as shown by the seizure of the CNC machinery earlier this year, highlighting the grave implications of such illicit activities, the officials said.
The possibility of overland routes being utilised for transferring sensitive equipment between China and Pakistan adds another layer of complexity to this illicit collaboration, officials said. Pakistan’s covert activities backed by China pose a direct threat to regional stability and global security, officials said and stressed the need for urgent action to be taken by the international community to curb such proliferation efforts.
