As of January 4 this year, Zhang Hongwen, member of the Anhui Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and Secretary of the Hefei Municipal Committee, has been “missing” for 25 days. Prior to this, he was absent from seven consecutive important meetings. Zhang Hongwen comes from the “aerospace department” of the Chinese Communist Party. Reports suggest that he is another high-ranking official from the aerospace department who has recently encountered problems.
Zhang Hongwen’s last public appearance was on December 10, 2024, when he chaired a meeting of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee. After that, he was absent from seven important meetings in a row, including the 12th plenary session of the Hefei Municipal Committee and the Economic Work Conference held on January 2, 2025.
On January 5, the Hong Kong media “Ming Pao” reported that sources revealed Zhang Hongwen did not attend to deliver a report or give a speech. The Hefei TV news on that day did not broadcast the meeting as usual, only airing the full text of the meeting resolution. It is rumored that Zhang Hongwen has encountered problems, and the current Secretary-General of the Anhui Provincial Committee will likely take over his position.
As of now, official information regarding Zhang Hongwen has not been made public.
Zhang Hongwen worked for a long time in the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, serving as the Director of the Third Research Institute (San Yuan), which mainly develops cruise missiles. In 2019, Zhang Hongwen was promoted to the position of Deputy General Manager of the corporation, and the following year he was “parachuted” into Anhui to serve as the Deputy Governor, before taking office as the Secretary of Hefei in March of last year.
Previously, former Secretary of the Hunan Provincial Committee and current Deputy Director of the National People’s Congress Education, Science, Health, and Sports Committee, Xu Dazhe, also missed the November and December meetings of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee last year. Xu Dazhe also comes from the aerospace department and has held positions such as General Manager and Party Secretary of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
Information indicates that Zhang Hongwen was born in April 1975 in Chengcheng, Shaanxi Province. He graduated with a Doctoral degree in Aircraft Design from Beihang University and holds a Doctorate in Engineering. He is a researcher. He has long worked at the Third Research Institute of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, becoming the Director in May 2017, and later the Deputy General Manager and a member of the Party Committee in September 2019. He is a member of the 13th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Zhang Hongwen is one of the “post-70s” central enterprise executives who have transferred to regional positions in recent years.