At a sensitive moment, the Y-20 transport plane suddenly "flashed" to Moscow. What is on board this 60-ton transport plane that makes Western countries care so much?
Chinese Y-20 transport aircraft
Recently, foreign media have noticed a piece of data information about the route of China's Y-20 aircraft. The information shows that recently, the Chinese military transport aircraft Y-20, without any warning, landed at Moscow airport.
However, before China could say anything about the specific tasks carried out by the Y-20, the Western media could not sit still and began to constantly hype up the news that "China is providing military supplies to Russia". The report said that China has sold 1,500 Desert Crossing 1000-3 off-road vehicles to Russia, stressing that although such vehicles are civilian vehicles, they can also be modified for military purposes.
As soon as the news was released, it aroused external alarm about Sino-Russian relations. Many Western media outlets have linked the incident to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, making a lot of hype, leading many to tilt their views toward the Y-20 carrying "sensitive supplies" to support Russia.
Of course, it is not without reason that the United States and other Western countries are showing extreme concern about this issue. As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to this day, China refuses to join the camp of the United States and Western countries and impose comprehensive restrictions on Russia, but chooses to continue to maintain cooperation with Russia in economic, military and other aspects.
Y-20 landed in Moscow
However, at the same time, in the face of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, China has always adhered to a neutral position, does not take sides, and firmly advocates resolving the issue through peaceful dialogue. And while maintaining economic and trade cooperation with Russia, it has not "severed" business with Ukraine, and still imports grain from Ukraine.
And for the Western bloc led by the United States, China does not "take sides", and it is also a contrarian tone. Therefore, the United States and Western countries have constantly exerted pressure on China through the "theory of China's aid to Russia", but this old-fashioned trick has not only not made Sino-Russian relations tense, but has made Sino-Russian exchanges more intensive.
On the eve of the SCO summit, China and Russia held their second dialogue since mid-May. During the talks, both countries stressed that they will deepen comprehensive strategic cooperation and jointly oppose external interference in internal issues, so as to ensure peace and stability in the region. At the same time, Russia also noted that it firmly opposes any external forces interfering in China's internal affairs, especially in the South China Sea.
Not only that, Russian media also said that the Russian corvette Perfect will plan to carry out joint patrols in the Korean Strait with warships of the Chinese Navy. In addition, at the end of last month, China and Russia also held a joint counter-terrorism training "Border Cooperation-2024" near the Heilongjiang Bridge.
According to reports, the focus of the training is to enhance the ability to exchange and coordinate counterterrorism intelligence, which also shows the determination of China and Russia to jointly combat separatism and extremism.
The Chinese and Russian navies jointly organized the Northern Joint 2023 exercise
All the above signs show that the "finger-pointing" of Western countries has aroused strong dissatisfaction in China. The intensive cooperation between China and Russia in a short period of time, as well as the sudden appearance of the Y-20, also mean that the resistance created by Western countries has not affected China.
China has shown no concern for the rumored "aid to Russia" rhetoric, which has also dealt a severe blow to the "self-confidence" of the United States and Western countries. Now, the United States and the Western bloc have even begun to worry that if China is completely provoked and finally chooses to ally with Russia and provide military assistance to Russia, then there will be no room for the Russian-Ukrainian conflict to turn around.
Therefore, if the United States cannot "threaten" China to change its pro-Russian stance, then they need to ensure that China can remain neutral and avoid China's role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
In this context, what kind of cargo is carried in this Y-20 is even more important for Western countries. If the Y-20 really contains so-called "sensitive materials", it shows that China has made adjustments in its foreign policy. However, if the situation is the opposite, it means that the relationship between China and Russia is still maintained at the level of normal cooperation.
And the answer to this question is no secret for a long time. If China really intends to provide military assistance to Russia, then choosing the Y-20 for transportation can be described as half the effort. Generally speaking, the flight range of the Y-20 can reach about 7,000 kilometers, but if the Y-20 is fully loaded, its range will be affected. In other words, the Y-20 can carry up to 60 tons of cargo, and if the Y-20 carries more than 60 tons, the range will drop significantly.
As far as military weapons and equipment are concerned, the carrying capacity of more than 60 tons cannot carry any large-scale equipment at all, and even if it carries some individual weapons, more than 60 tons is far from enough for consumption on the battlefield.
This also shows that if China really wants military aid to Russia, there is no need to use the Y-20 to assist, and in addition, China and Russia are also "neighbors", and military aid materials can be transported directly by rail, and there is no need to fly around with the Y-20.
During the Sino-Russian joint military exercise, the PLA Army composite battalion went north to Russia by rail
And the Russian army currently has the upper hand in the war, and the need for military equipment is not urgent. If Russia is in a hurry to seek weapons and equipment, then it can be used, and the range and carrying capacity are far greater than the Y-20 An-124 large transport aircraft, so the "China's aid to Russia" hyped by the foreign media is completely fake news.
In short, compared with the rumors of the so-called "China's military aid to Russia" that are constantly hyped up by the Western media, the military mutual trust that China and Russia are currently displaying, as well as the trend of deepening military cooperation between China and Russia, are more frightening to the Western bloc. The Y-20's "flash" appearance in Moscow also indicates that if China and Russia maintain the current momentum of cooperation, the global geopolitical situation may usher in earth-shaking changes.