Poly Technologies Corporation (Baoli)

Poly Technologies Corporation

保利科技有限公司

PRESIDENT: Maj. Gen. He Ping

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT: Wang Xiaochao

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD: Wang Jun

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Xie Datong

OTHER NAMES: Poly Group, Baoli (means "to keep the profit"), Poly Group Corporation

Located in Beijing. Established by China's military to compete with China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) in arms sales. Poly Technologies deals with missile and other arms sales, and is one of China's two major arms trading organizations (the other is the New Era (Xinshidai) Corporation).

Poly Technologies, on paper a subsidiary of China International Trust and Investment Corporation (CITIC), is actually a front company for the Chinese military-industrial complex. The firm was founded in June 1984 "because the army general staff wanted to have its own arms trading company, but thought that it would not be appropriate to do this openly," according to a Chinese source. Poly Technologies reports to the armament department of the PLA General Staff Department (GSD), and is authorized to sell almost any Chinese conventional weapons. Poly sells short and medium-range ballistic missiles. It reportedly conducted the sale of DF-3 (CSS-2) missiles to Saudi Arabia in 1988.

Poly Technologies is also closely tied through blood to various members of Chinese government. These ties to the government and military make companies such as Poly Technologies difficult for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) to control, especially when "in China the reason for arms sales is to earn money," as a Chinese official stated. This power has contributed to China's reluctance to join in restricting arms and nuclear sales.

Poly Technologies oversees the trading branches of the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) and Navy (PLAN), the Poly Aviation Technology Branch and Poly Navy Equipment Branch.

Subsidiaries of Poly Technologies include:

CONTINENTAL MARINER
LOLLIMAN, LTD.
RINGO TRADING COMPANY

[Sources: Risk Report, May 1995, p. 7; Bates Gill, "Determinants And Directions For Chinese Weapons Imports," The Pacific Review, Vol. 8, No. 2 1995, pp. 369-370; Hua Di, in Potter and Jencks, p. 170; John W. Lewis, Hua Di, and Xue Litai, "Beijing's Defense Establishment: Solving The Arms-Export Enigma," International Security, Spring 1991, p. 89; Yan Kong, "China's Arms Trade Bureaucracy," Jane's Intelligence Review, February 1994, p. 81; "Patent Office Weaves Wpeb In China Arms," New York Times, 22 August 1991, p. A19.]

Last Updated June 1998

This material is produced independently for NTI by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, agents. Copyright © 2007 by MIIS.