New procurement rules aim to curb corruption

A new regulation designed to prevent misconduct by those involved in government procurement took effect on Sunday.

The new regulation supplements the provisions of the 2003 Government Procurement Law and is intended to ensure that procurement is carried out in a transparent and fair way under effective supervision, according to a statement by the State Council's Legislative Affairs Office.

The total value of government procurement exceeded 1.6 trillion yuan ($255 billion) in 2013, up from 100 billion yuan in 2002, before the law was passed, the office said.