LA Chinese scanner contract under attack

The Port of Los Angeles is considering canceling a contract with a Chinese company to purchase a cargo-scanning X-ray machine. Its excuse for this is the machine failed field tests.

The $2.4 million Mobile Linear Accelerator X-ray Scanning Unit, which is mounted on the back of a truck, is supposed to look for dangerous devices in cargo.

The report is the scanner experienced several failures and did not meet up to expectations, officials said. Among the problems: It failed to operate properly without help from a special technician.

Odd. It is already up and running in in several other countries including Australia.

LA Times reported that opponents had argued that the U.S. should not rely on a political adversary such as China to supply equipment used for national security purposes.

In a recent statement, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, whose 46th District includes the nation’s busiest port complex, said, ‘When the Chinese government quits jailing political opponents and persecuting religious believers, maybe then we can start talking about buying their scanners.’

But is that the basis for the rational test of a scanner?

John Pike, director of the military information website globalsecurity.org, said he wouldn’t go that far.

He said. ‘I will not take a back seat when it comes to concerns about Chinese military threats. But we should not worry about nonstrategic stuff, and focus on the strategic. If the units work, they should buy them at the best price.’

The device is made by Nutech Inc. The company submitted its bid through its local representative, DULY Research Inc.

Opponents have argued that the port should not rely on a political adversary such as China to supply equipment used for national security purposes.

DULY President David Yu disputed the port’s assessment that the machine had 10 deficiencies. He told the LA TImes, ‘We provided the port with the best X-ray scanner in the world. It’s been in the port since July 2008, and they still haven’t paid us for it.’

The port’s plans to cancel the contract were first reported by Government Security News.

In an interview, Dana Rohrabacher, the a Republican from Huntington Beach, said the port was not to blame for the controversy over the contract. God Lord. Certain not. What on earth gave you that idea?

He said,’This whole controversy happened because of a lack of federal policy in this type of national security equipment.But I hope that in reaching this decision, the port was sensitive to the criticism it received for this contract.’