China denies its missiles being used by Iraq, Syria militants

China’s Foreign Ministry has denied that its hand-held anti-aircraft weapons have fallen into the hands of militants in Iraq and Syria.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei told media on Friday that it was untrue that armed groups in Iraq and Syria have acquired dozens of recent generation Chinese and Russian MANPADS or portable air defence systems.

Lei said China has very strict export controls, and rejected the report of the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey group.

He was quoted by News24, as saying that China doesn’t export weapons to non-state entities or countries that come under the arms embargo sanctions of the UN Security Council.

China has repeatedly said it is a responsible exporter of arms and follows all international conventions and rules.