Academician Zhou Chenghu, an expert in Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing Applications at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was reported to have been taken away for investigation about a month ago due to his suspected significant relationships with over 20 enterprises. Currently, the official list of academicians on the Chinese Academy of Sciences website has removed Zhou Chenghu’s name and his profile information.
According to a report from the mainland’s “Economic Observer” on May 22, 2026, two insiders disclosed that Zhou Chenghu was taken away by the disciplinary inspection and supervision staff of the Hunan Province Disciplinary Committee from the lobby of the office building of the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (referred to as IGSNRR) where he worked, in late April 2026.
An article by the mainland public account “Geosciences Home” suggested that the unusual “out-of-town detention” of an academician from Beijing’s scientific research institution by the Hunan local disciplinary and supervisory agency in recent years indicates possible deep involvement in cross-regional commercial cooperation, project bidding, or some connection with major local government economic decisions and cases of officials’ violations of discipline and law.
Further investigation by the Epoch Times revealed that Zhou Chenghu’s name is no longer on the official list of all academicians on the Chinese Academy of Sciences website, and information about him cannot be found through the website search function.
Born on August 18, 1964, in Hai’an, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, Zhou Chenghu obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Hydrology from Nanjing University in 1984, a Master’s degree in Physical Geography from the Institute of Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1987, and a Ph.D. degree in Geographic Information Systems from the same institute in 1992. He served as the Director of the State Key Laboratory of Resource and Environmental Information System from 1996 to 2015, Vice Director of IGSNRR from 2008 to 2016, and was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2013.
Zhou Chenghu’s research areas include spatial data mining, geographic system modeling, hydrology, water resources, and applications of geographic information systems and remote sensing.
In recent years, Zhou Chenghu gained recognition as a leading advocate and figurehead in the low-altitude economy sector. He has publicly predicted on multiple occasions that the low-altitude economy in China is poised to grow into the next trillion-dollar economic sector. Accompanying his academic influence is a vast commercial network.
Colleagues of Zhou Chenghu informed the “Economic Observer” that his relationships with many associated companies were one of the reasons behind the recent incident.
Business records show that Zhou Chenghu has significant relationships with over 20 enterprises, where he has served as a shareholder in at least 17 companies and held or currently holds executive positions in 19 companies. These companies mainly operate in satellite remote sensing and geographic information sectors, including Suzhou Zhongke Tianqi Remote Sensing Technology Co., Ltd. and Guangzhou Zhongke Yuntu Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.
Zhou Chenghu currently serves as a director at Zhongke Tianqi Remote Sensing Co., Ltd.; after penetrating the equity, he is the actual controlling shareholder of the company. The current legal representative, chairman, and manager of Zhongke Tianqi Remote Sensing Co., Ltd. is Zhou Chengyi, as introduced by a company employee who mentioned that Zhou Chengyi is related to Zhou Chenghu.
Zhou Chenghu is also a major shareholder and actual controlling shareholder of Suzhou Zhongke Geographic Information Technology Co., Ltd. and Suzhou Jianshi Information Technology Co., Ltd., where the current legal representative is Zhou Chengmei.
Known as the “Low Altitude Giant,” Zhongke Yuntu Company describes itself as a “global leading operator of low-altitude UAV remote sensing networks” and has consistently claimed to be a company “led by Chinese Academy of Sciences academician Zhou Chenghu.” Currently, Zhou Chenghu is the largest shareholder of the company, holding 18.63% of the shares.
Of note is Zhou Chenghu’s involvement in remote sensing and geographic information system research, including studies on the application of intelligent unmanned aerial vehicles, which are directly related to the development of military technologies for the Communist Party of China.
According to public records, Zhou Chenghu participated in the “Comprehensive Monitoring and Decision Support Analysis of Remote Sensing in the South China Sea and Surrounding Areas” project, which won the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award of the Communist Party of China in 2014.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, collectively known as the “Two Academies.” Since 2024, 10 academicians with military backgrounds have been removed from both academies. Additionally, Zhang Yaoxue, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and former president of Central South University, was investigated in October 2025 and expelled from the Communist Party of China on May 21, 2026, with the cancellation of welfare benefits and referral to justice.