China’s state-owned defence firms pledge to tackle corruption
- Companies pledge to tighten rules on bidding and procurement amid crackdown that has snared two former defence ministers
Nine firms operating in sectors that include nuclear, aerospace and shipbuilding promised to tighten their rules on bidding and procurement as well as looking at areas such as hiring and quality control following a series of inspections by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the top anti-corruption agency.
A number of senior commanders and defence company executives have already been caught up in the ongoing anti-corruption campaign targeting the military.
Last month, Li and his predecessor as defence minister Wei Fenghe were expelled from the Communist Party as Beijing confirmed they were being investigated on suspicion of corruption.
Li, who had an aerospace background and spent decades in the military’s equipment department, was accused of “severely polluting the political ecology in the military equipment sector and atmosphere in the industry”.
Wei was also accused of accepting a huge amount of money and helping others gain improper benefits.
