On February 5, 2026, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the Chinese Communist Party terminated the qualifications of three National People’s Congress deputies, Zhou Xinmin, Luo Qi, and Liu Cangli. All three are executives in state-owned military enterprises of the Chinese Communist Party, with Liu Cangli being a nuclear weapons expert. Over the past three years, with the military’s extensive cleanup, core personnel in the Chinese Communist Party’s military industrial complex have frequently been implicated in corruption cases. Experts believe that this indirectly reflects the Chinese Communist Party’s excessive boasting about its military strength, while in reality, the military-industrial system is rife with corruption, with only a small fraction exposed.
The latest three individuals to have their qualifications as National People’s Congress deputies terminated are Zhou Xinmin, former Chairman of the China Aviation Industry Group, Luo Qi, former Chief Engineer of the China National Nuclear Corporation, and Liu Cangli, former President of the China Academy of Engineering Physics.
Shen Mingshi, a researcher at the Taiwan Institute for National Defense Security, analyzed for Epoch Times, stating that the dismissal of these high-ranking military officials indicates that anti-corruption efforts within both the Chinese Communist Party’s military and military-industrial complex are ongoing. The frequent occurrence of corruption cases in the military-industrial complex indirectly demonstrates the Chinese Communist Party’s exaggeration of its military strength.
“These three individuals are responsible for crucial weapon systems, which indirectly reflect that the actual combat capabilities of the Chinese Communist Party’s military are not as formidable as they claim,” he said.
Recently, with the announcement of the fall from grace of Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Youxia and Committee Member Liu Zhenli, rumors of internal strife within the Chinese Communist Party have been circulating, with various sources indicating instability within the party. The annual “China Military Power Report” released by the US military has repeatedly pointed out that the Chinese Communist Party’s anti-corruption campaign has had an impact on its military power, particularly in potentially disrupting military modernization processes and operational preparedness in the short term.
Shen Mingshi stated that currently, Xi Jinping faces internal and external challenges, and externally, there are two likely approaches: one is to act tough, pretend to be strong, or appear stable; the second is to temporarily avoid provoking conflicts externally, first addressing issues within the military-industrial complex, the military, or internal economic problems.
The three National People’s Congress deputies relieved of their duties yesterday had previously been absent from important events or left their positions for unclear reasons. Among them, Zhou Xinmin was officially relieved of his duties in July 2025, and his most recent public appearance was in January of last year, chairing a party meeting. Luo Qi was interviewed by the media during the 2024 National People’s Congress but was absent from the 2025 National Congress sessions, while Liu Cangli was dismissed in 2024 alongside then Vice President of the China Academy of Engineering Physics Mo Zeyao. He later attended the Fourth Aerospace Engineering Forum held in the same year.
Since the exposure of the Rocket Army case in 2023 and the investigation into equipment corruption, senior officials in Chinese Communist Party military enterprises have frequently fallen from grace, but most have not been officially announced; they simply “disappear” mysteriously. Some officials who hold positions as National People’s Congress deputies or members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) have been officially dismissed due to procedural requirements.
On December 24, 2025, eight senior officials who had suddenly left their positions and had not been seen in public were stripped of their qualifications as members of the CPPCC. This included former Chairman of the China Aero-Engine Corporation Cao Jianguo, former Chairman of the China Satellite Network Group Zhang Dongchen, former Chairman of the China Electronics Information Industry Group Zeng Yi, and former Vice Chairman and General Manager of the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation Fan Youshan.
Senior military commentator Mark noted that the Chinese Communist Party has invested significant funds in military enterprises, especially in areas such as aircraft, missiles, and warships. However, in recent years, from the exposure of the Rocket Army case to investigations into corrupt equipment departments, numerous corruption clues have been discovered, implicating a large number of personnel. If all were to be disclosed in a short period, resulting in widespread officials falling from grace, it would cause a panic effect and lead many units to a state of paralysis. Therefore, the authorities are selective – arresting a few individuals today, a few tomorrow, and then revealing them in batches.
Cao Jianguo, who was removed as a CPPCC member last year, is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering who has been engaged in the development of ballistic missile weapon systems for a long time. Liu Cangli, the recently relieved National People’s Congress deputy, is a nuclear weapons expert, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, primarily engaged in research on explosive physics, shock wave physics, and equipment development. Others who have fallen from grace previously include Yang Wei, the “Father of the J-20,” Xiao Longxu, Chief Engineer of the Rocket Research Institute, and Hu Wenming, known as the “Father of the Aircraft Carrier.”
Mark emphasized that corruption within Chinese Communist Party military institutions has been ongoing. During the border conflict with India, it was discovered that Chinese armored vehicles could be penetrated by stones, as it was later revealed that ordinary steel was used instead of armored steel. “Military-industrial corruption is systemic, and what has been exposed so far is very limited.”