Listed by the Japanese government in 2005 as an entity of concern for chemical weapon and missile proliferation; sanctioned (along with all successors, sub-units, and subsidiaries) on December 23, 2005 by the U.S. Department of State under the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000, for two years as follows: U.S. government barred from procuring from, entering into contracts with, or providing assistance to the entity, U.S. government sales to the entity of any item on the United States Munitions List prohibited, sales to the entity of any defense articles, defense services, or design and construction services under the U.S. Arms Export Control Act terminated, no new individual licenses granted for the transfer to the entity of items the export of which is controlled under the U.S. Export Administration Act of 1979 or the U.S. Export Administration Regulations, and any existing such licenses suspended; sanctioned (with all successors, sub-units, or subsidiaries) by the United States on December 27, 2004, on September 23, 2004 and April 1, 2004 under the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000, for transferring to Iran equipment and/or technology of proliferation significance since January 1, 1999; sanctioned by the U.S. Department of State in September 2003 for engaging in missile technology proliferation activities; sanctioned by the United States in June 2003 for engaging in proliferation activities with Iran; forbidden by the U.S. Department of State on May 9, 2003 from exporting to the United States for two years, as a penalty for engaging in missile technology proliferation activities with Iran, allegedly by selling missile technology to the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group (a.k.a. Shig), Iran's government agency in charge of developing and producing ballistic missiles; according to the U.S. government's Iraq Survey Group (ISG), was approached by Saddam Hussein's Iraq in the fall of 2000 as a potential supplier of 200 gyros suitable for use in Russian and Chinese cruise missiles, and of machine tools with missile applications (no delivery was established); according to the ISG, was in contact with Iraq several times between 2000 and 2002; documents recovered by the ISG indicate that NORINCO agreed to continue dealing with Iraq in spite of a debit exceeding $3.06 billion, but specified that Beijing would not be informed; according to the ISG, was promised payment by Iraq with crude oil and petroleum products through the Iraqi front company Al Basha'ir; employees indicted in 1996 by the United States for illegally conspiring to import 2,000 fully automatic AK-47 assault rifles into California intended for street gangs; develops and manufactures armored fighting vehicles, howitzers, mortars, rocket launchers, anti-aircraft weapons, anti-tank missile systems, small arms, ammunition, radars, sighting and aiming systems, high-performance engines, nuclear/biological/chemical warfare protection systems, sensor-fused cluster bombs, optical-electronic products, explosives and blast materials, light industrial products, fire-fighting equipment, metal and non-metal materials; supplies Pakistan's Civil Works Organization, Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) Gadwal, and Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT); reportedly has developed a long range artillery "supergun" with a range of 360 kilometers; established in 1980 with the approval of the State Council of China; reportedly shipped metals and chemicals used in missile production to the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group in Iran; overseen by the Commission on Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (COSTIND); a subsidiary of China North Industries Group Corporation (CNGC).

Subsidiaries include:

China WANBAO Engineering Corporation
Zhanjiang North International Logistics Co., Ltd.
Norin Optech Co. Ltd.
-subsidiaries include Zhongshan Precision Optics Company
Norinco International Cooperation Ltd.
-subsidiaries include Shenzhen Xilin Aluminum Industry Branch
Norinco Zhanjiang Development Co., Ltd.
Norinco Armsports Co., Ltd. (NORINCO Sports)
China North Industries (Guangzhou) Corp. (Norinco Guangzhou)
China North Industries Dalian Corp.
China North Industries Qingdao Corporation
Norinco Chemicals Ltd.(NORCHEM)
China North Industries Shenzhen Corporation
-subsidiaries include Shenzhen Saiya Aerosol Industry Co.
AKM Industrial Company Limited
-subsidiaries include AKM Electronics Industrial (Panyu) Ltd.
Silver City International (Holdings) Limited
-subsidiaries include: Silverkey Development Limited
Alpha Luck Industrial Limited
-subsidiaries include Alpha Luck Electronic & Electric Appliance Industrial (Guangzhou)
Winlinks International
China North Industries Xiamen Corporation
-subsidiaries include Ever Fortune (Hong Kong) Int'l Co., Ltd. and Fujian
North Trading Company
North Feng Hua Alproducts Trading Co.
North International Exhibition Co., Ltd.
China North Vehicle Corporation (Norinco Motors)
Zhenhua Oil Co. Ltd.
Wanbao Mining Co., Ltd.

U.S. subsidiaries reportedly include:

Beta Chemical
Beta First
Beta Lighting
Beta Unitex
China Sports (California)
Forte Lighting
Larin
NIC International (New Jersey);
Beta Toys (California)
Norinco Sports U.S.A. (California).