China’s military disqualifies procurement company for ‘serious risks’ of leaked secrets

PLA cuts ties with China Far East International Tendering Co, saying it violated confidentiality rules while purchasing for strategic support force

Military says company forwarded information through email and WeChat and stored confidential documents on unprotected computers

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China is ramping up scrutiny of confidentiality issues amid growing tensions with Washington and its allies. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 10:00pm, 13 Mar 2024Updated: 10:45pm, 13 Mar 2024

The People’s Liberation Army has disqualified a procurement company for posing “a serious threat” of leaking secrets, according to a notice issued by the Chinese military’s equipment department on Tuesday.

China Far East International Tendering Co violated confidentiality rules while carrying out purchases for the PLA’s strategic support force, according to the notice issued on the military’s equipment procurement information site.

The PLA’s Strategic Support Force, established in 2015, is the core of the military’s integration and modernisation plan and is tasked with integrating “strategic” functions across the military – from space and the internet to psychological warfare. The force also serves as an intelligence gathering hub.

China is ramping up scrutiny of confidentiality issues amid growing tensions with Washington and its allies. Beijing passed a major amendment tightening its state secrets law last month.

The law stipulates that it is illegal to send state secrets via the internet without taking proper confidentiality measures.

Tuesday’s announcement did not mention the state secrets law, instead citing PLA regulations. It said the company violated “relevant regulations including the management measures for equipment procurement tender agency services”.

The notice said that the company violated regulations by “forwarding a large amount of procurement announcement materials” through emails and WeChat, a Chinese social media platform.

The company also stored a large number of confidential documents on unprotected computers, it said.

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