Private firms to get more military contracts

The government will spare no effort to boost private companies' participation in the research, development and production of weapons and other military equipment, according to a senior official.

Long Hongshan, chief engineer at the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, which oversees China's defense industries, told a news conference on Wednesday that the administration will make a list of companies qualified to accept military contracts - regardless of their ownership - and will treat State-owned companies and private ones equally when allocating State funds.

The administration will produce regulations for public bidding and outsourcing of weapons, subsystems and components, Long said. He added that it will also streamline review procedures for applications from private companies and will allow them to design and make more kinds of military hardware and software that are currently out of their permitted scopes.