Turkey has announced plans to buy a $4bn air defence system from China, a decision that has surprised and dismayed some of Ankara’s Nato partners.
A government committee chaired by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, prime minister, decided this week to proceed with buying the long-range anti-aircraft and ballistic missile system from the state-owned China Precision Machinery Import-Export Corporation, rejecting rivals bids from western groups. This was despite concerns that the new technology might not work with other Nato systems.Furthermore, the US Treasury has imposed sanctions on CPMIEC a number of times, including this year, because of charges that it has been involved in the sharing of missile technology with countries such as North Korea.
Turkish officials said the decision was made on technical and price grounds, an argument echoed by several analysts who say Ankara is keen to get hold of new technology that the US is reluctant to share. Nevertheless, the move comes amid increasing strains with some of Turkey’s allies.