China unveils new rules on government purchases

BEIJING - China released new regulations on state purchases on Friday to improve transparency and curb corruption.

The implementing regulations of the Government Procurement Law were signed by Premier Li Keqiang and will go into effect from March 1, 2015, according to a statement issued by the State Council, China's cabinet.

The procurement law was adopted in 2003. In the past decade, China's state purchase scale has soared to 1.6 trillion yuan in 2013 from 101 billion yuan in 2002.

"The problems of low quality and efficiency still exist in government procurement," said the statement, adding the new regulation is vital to competitive bidding, and transparent processes in state purchases.

The rules detail basic principles of government procurement which require purchasing staff to propose a rational purchasing plan and practice strict economy.

To avoid manipulation behind the scenes, the process will be made more transparent through publicizing information about products, budget and bidding results among others.