Trudeau government awards Chinese state-owned firm $6.8 million contract for security equipment

Nuctech Company, owned by the Chinese government and affectionately nicknamed "the Huawei of airport security," will provide Canadian embassies with X-ray machines, scanners, and other high-level security equipment at offices in most countries around the world.

Nuctech, which has been in business since 1997 and was founded by the son of then-General Secretary of the Communist Party Hu Jintao, already has a presence across Europe, with a geographical presence in Poland, the Netherlands, Croatia, and Malta. Nuctech also provides body scanners to jail for inmates who have permission to leave the jail "for work, job training or medical appointments" in Dance County, Wisconsin.

Bids were submitted from security companies, with companies such as the California-based Rapiscan Systems being out-matched by Nuctech, as the contract was awarded to the lowest bidder.

The National Post reports that Nuctech has been accused of engaging in dodgy business practices and illegal dumping, with critics also pointing out that the company may very well be using practices such as soft loans.

This is done with the help of the Chinese government, who subsidize companies to allow them to drop their prices, making western companies noncompetitive.