Key facts
- China has proposed revisions to its government procurement and project bidding laws.
- The draft legislation aims to eliminate discriminatory practices against foreign and private companies.
- Buyers would be banned from imposing discriminatory conditions on government suppliers.
- Bidding law revisions would prohibit restricting bidders based on ownership type, organizational structure, or operational scale.
China has unveiled draft revisions to laws governing government procurement and project bidding, aiming to address corruption and opaque processes that have historically disadvantaged foreign and private companies. The proposed updates to the existing frameworks were submitted to the nation's top legislature in late June and are currently open for public consultation.
The core of the overhaul is a mandate to guarantee equal participation for all suppliers. Under the proposals, buyers would be prohibited from imposing discriminatory conditions on government suppliers. Furthermore, the revisions to the bidding laws would explicitly forbid restricting bidders based on factors such as ownership type, organizational structure, or operational scale.