The China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) has signed an agreement with the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) to support industrial and technological co-operation, according to a statement from CASIC.
CASIC – one of China's most important developers of advanced weapons and unmanned systems – said that its “strategic co-operation framework agreement” with CCCC will facilitate the co-ordinated construction of new infrastructure, national development projects, and “intelligent high-end equipment”.
CASIC added that the two state-owned enterprises will “jointly contribute to the building of aerospace power” and that their activities will be focused on achieving self-reliance in science and technology and to “co-ordinate innovation in frontier technologies”.
CASIC produces air and missile defence systems, short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, hypersonic weapons, aerospace electronics, microsatellites, and an array of related subsystems and components.
The company is also at the forefront of China's efforts to integrate advanced technologies – such as artificial intelligence – into weaponry and military systems. The Chinese government terms such capabilities as “frontier technologies”.
CCCC, which is a prominent engineering and construction group, has been an important part of China's efforts to expand through its Belt and Road Initiative.
Both CASIC and CCCC have been subject in recent years to sanctions from the United States government for engaging in activities that the US perceives as contrary to its national security interests.
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