PLA Rocket Force bans 3 universities from procurement activities over ‘bid-rigging’

Chinese military branch at centre of anti-corruption crackdown says the universities cannot take part until August 2027

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The PLA Rocket Force has banned Xian Jiaotong University and two others from taking part in procurement activities for three years. Photo: Weibo

Published: 10:00pm, 23 Aug 2024Updated: 10:30pm, 23 Aug 2024

The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force – which oversees China’s arsenal of nuclear and ballistic missiles – has accused three universities of bid-rigging and banned them from its procurement process for three years.

The PLA branch has been at the centre of an anti-corruption campaign targeting the military, with a number of senior officials under investigation since last year.

In three separate statements on the military procurement website, the rocket force said Xian Jiaotong University and Xian Technological University, in Shaanxi province, and Southwest Jiaotong University in Chengdu, Sichuan, had been banned from taking part in its procurement process from this month until August 16, 2027.

The PLA Rocket Force is key to Beijing’s nuclear deterrence strategy and efforts to ramp up pressure on Taiwan. Photo: AP

“According to relevant regulations on military supplier management, they are banned from participating in procurement activities for the rocket force in all product categories,” the statements said.

Other enterprises controlled or managed by the universities’ representatives were also prohibited from procurement activities during that period, the rocket force said.

It alleged that the universities had colluded with competing bidders or those inviting bids to determine the winner of the bidding process.

In addition, statements from other PLA departments on the military procurement website said more than 5,000 enterprises – including electronics, catering and pharmaceutical companies – had been banned for illegal dealings since 2015.