The latest in Chinese counterfeit: Fake military vehicles, academies and even hospitals
Organized crime and corruption within China’s military has led to a proliferation of fake military items circulating in the world’s most populous nation. This raises concerns about the illegal spread of Chinese weapons, including nuclear forces.
The China Military Law journal recently reported that fraud was a concern in the military. Jiefangjun Bao, the official military newspaper, reported on August 5 that in recent years, “fake soldiers, fake military vehicles, fake military academies, and fake military hospitals had appeared, harming society, tarnishing the image of the armed forces and soldiers, and attracting a lot of attention from the leaders and functional departments of the Chinese armed forces and localities.”
The report was based on statistics provided by the PLA General Political Department showing that during the previous five years, authorities investigated more than 9,000 fake military vehicles and arrested more than 9,000 people.
The problem continues, however. Recent cases include a “group fight between villagers in Taiyuan City and officer cadets of a fake Chinese PLA Air Force Academy."
The fraudulent military activities have prompted investigators to install global positioning system (GPS) devices on vehicles to track illegal military activities, which appeared to be part of organized crime groups attempting to hide their activities.
Repeated crackdowns have failed to stop the activities, the report said.
