Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

China Aerospace Machinery and Electronics Corporation (CAMEC)

The China Aerospace Machinery and Electronics Corporation (CAMEC) evolved from the former China Aerospace Corporation and encompassed many of the latter's organizations. With the approval of the State Council, on 01 July 1999, in an effort to become more competitive the Chinese government reformed the top ten Defense and Technology Corporations. These corporations, including the former China Aerospace Corporation, are all large State Owned Enterprises (SOE's) under direct supervision of the State Council.

The former China Aerospace Corporation, with some 270,000 employees, was divided into the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) with about 110,000 employees, and the China Aerospace Machinery and Electronics Corporation (CAMEC), presumably with about 150,000 employees. The S&T Corporation adopted CALT, the Fourth Academy, CAST, 062 Base, and 067 Base. The Electro-mechanical Corporation integrated the Second and Third Academies and the remaining bases.

After 2 years operation the name of CAMEC did not reflect its general characteristics of an aerospace hi-tech product research and manufacture unit, and partners can not judge its meaning accurately. This had caused many disadvantages to the co-operation of the military products in scientific research and manufacture and the development of civilian products market. Meanwhile, the two words, "machinery" and "electronics" did not reflect the meaning that CAMEC was an important part of China's aerospace industry.

China Aerospace Machinery and Electronics Corporation (CAMEC) was renamed China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) with the approval of the State Council in July 2001. On Sept. 6, 2001, just before the 45th anniversary of China's aerospace industry, the renaming ceremony had been held in Beijing. Mr. Sun Guangyun, the vice secretary-general of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (COSTIND) and Mr. Xia Guohong, the president of CAMEC attended the ceremony. In the development of national defence modernization and national economic construction, CASIC would build itself into a big international hi-tech group with strong competitive strength.

CAMEC had registered capital of RMB 74 billion(US$8,915 million). CAMAC's business scope includes all kinds of missile and weapon systems, and other aerospace products. In addition, CAMEC also supplies many kinds of civilian products such as machinery, electronics, chemicals, communication, computer products. CAMEC had developed several dozen models of missiles including strategic, tactical, ground-to-ground, ground-to-sea and ground-to-air missiles. It had made some breakthroughs in missile manufacturing technology in accelerating the development and manufacturing of a new generation of missiles.

CAMEC was a large-scale state-owned enterprise under the direct control of the state government. Since it was founded 45 years ago, China's aerospace industry had grown out of nothing and developed from small to large scale, from studying to having today's completed R&D capacity and scientific research system. And it was engaged in the national defence modernization and national economic construction. Its scientific research level and technological achievements have entered the advanced world ranks.

Since its founding, CAMEC had gained great attention of top leaders of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the State Council and the Central Military Commission, and had been warmly supported by the people of nationalities all over the country. Facing the tendency of the globalization of economy and China's approaching to WTO, CAMEC uses various missile weapon systems, military and civil information system and aerospace products as its three pillar industrial products. It had provided great many missile weapon systems with advanced performance to the country, which have greatly improved China's national defence strength and forces. Marked by the successful launch of the Aerospace-Qinghua small satellite, it had made great progress in micro-satellite and solid rocket launch vehicles. Many types of aerospace products with excellent performances have become an important and irreplaceable part in the LM-launch vehicles and manned space flight engineering. Hi-tech civilian products, represented by the aerospace smart card used in taxation and golden and Jingdun IC cards, had played a positive role in promoting national economic construction and people's living standards.

It had four large academies,i.e. China Changfeng Mechanics and Electronics Technology Academy, China Haiying Electro-Mechanical Technology Academy, China Space Civil Building Engineering Design & Research Academy, Chian Solid Rocket Engine Technology Academy (China Hexi Chemical Machinery Company), Seven large research,development and production bases, as well as foreign trade and investment companies ,i.e. China Jiangnan Space Industry Co.Group, China Sanjiang Space Industry Co.Group, Huana Space Industry Corporation, Yuanan Space Industry Corporation, Chian Aerospace Industrial Supply & Marketing Corporation, China Great Wall Industry Corporation, China Aerospace Trust & Investment Co., Lld. and a number of direct subordinate institutions, factories, shareholding and share-in companies, altogether in total of more than 140 member units with an employment of nearly 120,000, of which 40 percent are technicians and engineers with different professions.

With more than 40 years of construction and development foundation, CAMEC had established an integated system for research, development, manufacture and test of space products and other high-tech products with system engineering implementation capability,relevant managing experience and developing & production capability. Equipped with a number of national or even international standard laboratories and actual technical strength and rich technical resources, CAMEC had possessed stronger advantageous position and its feature in the areas of guidance & control, detection, information, miniaturization & systerm integration,etc. It had also strong actual strength of research, development,production ability in computer applications, information security,industrial process control,telecommunication,automobile spare parts and medical instruments and et. CAMEC had established ties, cooperation and trade with many well-known big companies and research institutions in many countries and regions around the world.

The core business of CAMEC was mainly specialized in various missiles,other space related products and IT products. And it was also engaged in the business of machinery, electronics, chemical engineering, telecommunication, computer and its applications, satellite applications, transportation, medical instruments and civil engineering,etc. And it had also developed economic-tech exchanges, cooperation and various business of contract engineering construction,public biding for procurement and labor exports and etc.