Discusses the legal requirements for selling to the host government, including whether the government has agreed to abide by the WTO Government Procurement Agreement or is a party to a government procurement chapter in a U.S. FTA. Specifies areas where there are opportunities.
Last Published: 7/30/2019

China’s current government procurement regime is governed by two primary laws: the Government Procurement Law, which is administered by the Ministry of Finance and governs purchasing activities conducted with fiscal funds by state organizations and other organizations at all levels of government in China; and the Tendering and Bidding Law, which falls under the jurisdiction of the National Development and Reform Commission, imposes uniform tendering and bidding procedures for certain classes of procurement projects in China, notably construction and public works projects, without regard for the type of entity that conducts the procurement.  China has yet to join that the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) and these laws both cover important procurement projects that would be eligible for coverage under the GPA.

The U.S. Government imposes restrictions on the sale of many items to the Chinese military.  Restrictions on this type of business exist both in the United States and China.  For example, the United States restricts the export of munitions items to China.  U.S. manufacturers should contact the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (202-482-4811) and the U.S. State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (202-663-2980) for guidance before selling items to the Chinese military.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Advocacy Center coordinates U.S. government interagency advocacy efforts on behalf of U.S. exporters bidding on public sector contracts with overseas governments and government agencies.  The Advocacy Center helps to ensure that sales of U.S. products and services have the best possible chance of competing abroad.  Advocacy assistance is wide and varied but often involves companies that want the U.S. Government to communicate a message to foreign governments or government-owned corporations on behalf of their commercial interest, typically in a competitive bid contest.

Many governments finance public works projects through borrowing from multilateral development banks. Please refer to “Project Financing” Section in “Trade and Project Financing” for more information.
 

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.