Norinco

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The China North Industries Corporation (Chinese: 北方工业; pinyin: Běifāng Gōngyè; literally "North Industries"), official English name Norinco, manufactures vehicles (trucks, cars and motorcycles), machinery, optical-electronic products, oil field equipment, chemicals, light industrial products, explosives and blast materials, civil and military firearms and ammunition, etc. Norinco is also involved in domestic civil construction projects.

Norinco is also known outside of China for its high-tech defense products, some of which are adaptations of Soviet equipment. Norinco produces precision strike systems, amphibious assault weapons and equipment, long-range suppression weapon systems, anti-aircraft & anti-missile systems, information & night vision products, high-effect destruction systems,[1] fuel air bombs, anti-terrorism & anti-riot equipment and small arms.

Contents

[edit] History

Norinco-designed QBZ-95 rifle.
Norinco-designed QBZ-95 rifle.

Norinco was established in 1980 with the approval of the State Council of China, and is overseen by the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (COSTIND). According to the congressional testimony of Gary Milhollin of the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control in 1997, Norinco subsidiaries in the U.S. include: Beta Chemical, Beta First, Beta Lighting, Beta Unitex, China Sports (California), Forte Lighting, Larin, NIC International (New Jersey).[2]

[edit] Controversies in the United States

Importations of most Norinco firearms and ammunition into the United States were blocked during the Clinton Administration in 1993 under new trade rules when China's Most Favored Nation status was renewed. Concerns about their use by criminals in inner cities was the reason put forward for the prohibition. The prohibition did not apply to sporting shotguns or shotgun ammunition however. Rumours at the time suggested there may have been a plan by Chinese intelligence authorities to use an importer of Norinco firearms called: "Poly Technologies, Inc." to destabilise the United States through sales of firearms at artificially low prices. A later illegal shipment of arms appeared to support these rumours.

In 1994, some employees of Norinco came under federal investigation from both the FBI as well as the BATF after a successful sting dubbed “Operation Dragon Fire.” In May of 1996, in what was called "the largest seizure of fully operational automatic weapons in U.S. history,"[3] 14 individuals and an Atlanta, Georgia company were indicted for the unlicensed importation and sale of 2,000 AK-47's into the United States. U.S. Customs agents posing as arms traffickers convinced a group of Chinese arms dealers, including three Norinco representatives, that they were in the market to buy guns for drug rings and street gangs.[4] "The defendants offered the government undercover agents more sophisticated weapons, including hand-held rocket launchers, mortars, anti-aircraft missiles, silenced machine guns and even tanks," said Wayne Yamashita of the U.S. Customs Service.[5] The Customs Service discovered during the investigation that these weapons were bound for Oakland, California street gangs.[6] According to an affidavit signed by two of the undercover agents involved in the investigation, representatives from Norinco offered to sell urban gangs shoulder-held missile launchers capable of downing a large commercial airliner.

In August 2003, the Bush administration imposed sanctions on Norinco for allegedly selling missile-related goods to Iran.[7] While not formally joining the multinational effort to restrict the proliferation of missiles, China did commit in 2000 not to assist in any way the development by other countries of MTCR-class missiles. Neither the Chinese government nor Norinco has denied doing business with Iranian companies, although they did deny that it was for missile related purposes at the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, Iran’s key manufacturer of ballistic and non ballistic missiles.[8] Norinco has called the sanctions "groundless and unjustified" and "entirely unreasonable."[9]

These sanctions led to a prohibition on imports into the US of the remaining types of firearms and ammunition not covered by the 1993 ban.

[edit] Current Projects

In May of 2004, Norinco won the contract to build Tehran Subway Line 4 with Tehran Railway Company in Iran. The total amount of this contract is over 800 million (U.S. dollars) and is China's biggest international project contract to date. The project is estimated to take up to six years to complete.

[edit] Some weapons manufactured by Norinco

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Norinco Defense." Norinco.com
  2. ^ [1][2]
  3. ^ Anatomy Of A Sting - Time
  4. ^ Court TV Library
  5. ^ CNN - Feds seize 'incredible arsenal' - May 23, 1996
  6. ^ [3]
  7. ^ [4]
  8. ^ [5][6] [7] [8]
  9. ^ [9][10]
  10. ^ AK-47.net: Norinco MAK-90 AK

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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