Trade Show Offers Top Gear to China Cops

Washington shocked as US firms sell gizmos to Beijing
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 27, 2008 9:00 AM CDT
Trade Show Offers Top Gear to China Cops
Chinese riot police with shield and batons stand guard in Xiahe, Gansu Province, China, Saturday, March 15, 2008, where hundreds of Tibetans marched the day before.   (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

A police trade show packed with Western goods is thriving in Beijing despite worldwide outrage against China, the New York Times reports. DuPont and Motorola are among big-name companies selling items like bulletproof Kevlar and wireless systems for cops. Washington, which forbids the sale of police technology to China, was shocked to hear about items on the show floor.

One official called the ban "a top priority;" another said Washington is investigating the trade show immediately. But US firms in Beijing interpret their products as exempt from the ban. One gizmo that stood out at the show: a portable system for secretly copying hard drives. The Pentagon and CIA are already happy customers, said the California-based manufacturer. (More China stories.)

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