Tech Sales to China Raise Red Flags

Chinese companies linked to the People’s Liberation Army were cleared to import sensitive high-tech equipment from the US after the Bush administration eased restrictions blocking the sale of technology with military applications, the New York Times reports. One company has ties to arms sales to Iran and Syria, claims a report by the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control.

Wisconsin Project analysts contend two “highly suspicious” companies were approved to import aircraft engine parts, navigation and telecommunications equipment, and high-end composites, some of which could end up in Iran or Syria—in a “stealth attack on export controls.” The Commerce Department countered that only companies with “a demonstrable record of using sensitive technologies responsibly” are approved. (More China stories.)