Beijing Tightens Rules on Military Equipment Sales to Prevent Unauthorized Transactions

Beijing has tightened its rules on the sale of military equipment to ban its sale through unauthorised channels. “In recent years, some business operators have openly sold, online and offline, goods … such as decommissioned and scrapped military equipment, causing an adverse impact and creating security risks,” an administrative notice issued by multiple state bodies said. The notice – made public on Tuesday and published internally last week – covers everything from uniforms to machinery, components and ammunition that have been formally withdrawn from service and designated for disposal. There are already laws concerning the sale or transfer of equipment and weapons, with offenders facing up to 10 years in prison, but these are vaguely worded. “Any form of commercial promotion for decommissioned equipment and imitations that could be mistaken by the public for military equipment is prohibited,” it said. “Any organisation or individual is prohibited from producing, modifying or assembling equipment using dismantled parts from decommissioned or scrapped equipment, or selling imitations that could be mistaken by the public for military equipment.”