Bulk order for rockets, satellites

China Great Wall Industry has signed agreements with the manufacturer of China’s Long March rockets and the builder of China’s telecommunications satellites for 20 Long March 3A vehicles and eight satellite platforms.
The bulk-purchase deals, worth about RMB15 billion (US$2.26 billion), cover deliveries over the next five years.
The eight satellites are all DFH-4 platforms, which is China’s principal telecommunications satellite model. It is also the one used to win export orders.
The Long March rockets will be basic three-stage vehicles used to transport telecommunications satellites into geostationary-transfer orbit.
China has said that for its own space program, it needs something like 10 Long March rockets a year which is precisely the current rate of production. So for export production will have to be ramped up.
SpaceNews reports China has been prevented from gaining full access to the global commercial market because of US technology-export restrictions in effect since 1999. So it has built its own.