Chinese computer maker Lenovo has received a government purchase order from the United States.

The order comes hot on the heels of the completion of Lenovo's acquisition of IBM's PC business on May 1.

The contract from the US Air Force is for the purchase of 2,400 ThinkPad notebooks, worth about US$3 million.

With the help of its partner iGov, Lenovo also received contracts for technical support and services. For Lenovo, the deal means much more than its first contract after the acquisition. As a Chinese company, Lenovo has to confront allegations of being a security threat to US industries. Meanwhile, it also faces competition from other two US based computer makers, Dell and HP.

Analysts say the contract indicates Lenovo will eventually break through the "security" barrier and share in US government purchase orders.

(CCTV.com May 10, 2005)