China terminates 200 experts, suppliers amid corruption probe into Rocket Force

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - China has banned nearly 200 experts and suppliers from participating in projects and bids for its Rocket Force amid a corruption investigation into procurement procedures, the South China Morning Post reported Thursday.

The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force prohibited 74 bid evaluation experts and 116 suppliers from its projects.

Some suppliers and experts were barred from rocket force procurement programs, while others lost their credentials to bid on projects throughout the entire armed forces.

The termination of contracts as well as stripping of bidding rights were announced across military procurement network after violations were found as early as 2016, a year after the Rocket Force was launched.

For instance, authorities found how an expert was disqualified from bidding in procurement tenders because of "errors in the project review.”

Founded soon after President Xi Jinping began his military reforms, the Rocket Force is in control of some of the armed forces’ most important assets, including strategic nuclear missiles.

In-depth investigations into the military equipment procurement sector were launched following the 2013 downfall of then-Defense Minister Li Shangfu.