China postpones delivery of electric locomotives to Belarus

China has postponed the delivery of 15 new BKG2 electric freight locomotives to Belarus. They were supposed to arrive in our country at the end of 2023. The latest delivery date is 2025-26.

As the "Community of Railway Workers of Belarus" has learned, the transfer of deliveries is due to the Chinese fearing falling under the US and EU sanctions. Railway workers have obtained documents indicating such concerns on the part of the Chinese train manufacturer CRRC Datong Co., Ltd.

The implications of a potential import ban on China's BKG2 electric locomotive are significant. This high-tech locomotive, which features Swedish transformers, Canadian electric motors, French switchgear, and German braking equipment, relies heavily on imported components. If these are prohibited, all production in China could be halted.

At the moment, the Chinese are considering two options. The first is to replace all sanctioned components with Chinese ones. The second option is paper import substitution, which involves hiding the use of imported components in documents.

However, the Chinese factory admits that it is almost impossible to produce electric locomotives without Western components. If the second option is implemented, even the simplest repair, which requires replacing Western parts, will be fraught with serious difficulties.