Facts: EU arms and technology sold to China's armed forces

(BEIJING) - European Union countries export a range of technology to China's military, according to public documents, research institutes and military analysts.

Below is a selection of the weapons and dual-use goods that have flowed from EU countries to China in the past five years.

NAVY

-- German firm MTU provides engines which power several of China's latest destroyer classes, say military scholars.

Nine of the 11 destroyers China has built since 1991 appear to have German MTU diesel engines paired with gas turbines imported from Ukraine, according to Roger Cliff, military analyst at the US-based Atlantic Council.

China's latest Yuan submarine class, of which 12 are in service, are either powered by MTU engines or "Chinese-made copies", Cliff said.

China's Song class of diesel-powered submarines rely on MTU engines chosen for low noise levels which help evade detection, according to Naval Technology, an online arms database.

Data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) to the end of 2010 shows that 48 MTU-designed diesels for submarines have been supplied to the Chinese navy for use in Song subs.

-- Two of China's newest classes of frigate, the Jiangkai I and II, are powered by engines from SEMT Pielstick, a French manufacturer owned by Germany's MAN Diesel and Turbo, according to analysts and specifications posted on Chinese military websites.

-- British technology is also used by China's navy. Its latest "Houbei" class of stealth missile boats come fitted with Rolls-Royce designed water jets produced by subsidiary Kamewa, according to photographs posted on Chinese military websites.

AIR FORCE

-- French firm Airbus delivered 357 helicopters to China between 1992 and 2013, including the military-use AS565 Panther helicopter, which is produced under licence in China, according to figures compiled by SIPRI.

-- French firm Aerospatiale, now part of Airbus, delivered 50 Super-Frelon transport helicopters used by China's military between 2001 and 2013, according to SIPRI.

-- Other items shipped to China between 1998 and 2013 include 250 turbofans licensed from Britain for use in combat aircraft, SIPRI's database shows.

LAND FORCES

-- German firm Deutz exported more than 4,400 engines to China between 1981 and 2013, for use in armoured personnel carriers, the SIPRI figures show.

Deutz engines are used in China's WZ-523 class of armoured vehicles, according to a database maintained by the Federation of American Scientists.

SIPRI's database shows that in the past five years China has exported the WZ-523 to Ethiopia, Myanmar and Niger, among other countries.

Deutz did not respond to an inquiry from AFP. Airbus and Rolls-Royce also failed to respond. A spokesman for MTU said the company "acts strictly according to the German export laws".