Four senior Chinese Communist Party military experts passed away between March 20th and 25th, 2026. The deceased include Li Youping, the pioneer of the first-generation nuclear bomb remote sensing system in China, military information technology expert Wei Zhengyao, microelectronics specialist Wu Dexin, and communication technology expert Sun Yu. All four were members of the Chinese Communist Party, with Wei Zhengyao being promoted to the rank of Major General in 1993.
On March 26, 2026, the China Academy of Engineering Physics issued a funeral announcement stating that Li Youping, a Chinese Communist Party member, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, electronics and communication technology expert, and former director of the Science and Technology Committee of the China Academy of Engineering Physics, passed away at the age of 91 in Beijing on March 25, 2026.
Born on May 1, 1935, in Quanzhou, Fujian, Li Youping held various positions such as assistant and lecturer at Chengdu Telecommunications Engineering Institute (now University of Electronic Science and Technology of China), and executive deputy director and director of the Science and Technology Committee at the China Academy of Engineering Physics. He was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 1999.
According to the announcement, Li Youping was a key figure in the development of China’s nuclear weapon electronics industry and the founding father of the first-generation nuclear bomb remote sensing system in China. He led the design of China’s first-generation reentry remote sensing system.
As reported by the Chinese Communist Party media “Guangming Daily,” Wei Zhengyao, a Party member, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, military information technology expert, and researcher at a research institute of the Network Space Force, passed away in Beijing at the age of 90 on March 24, 2026, due to illness.
Wei Zhengyao, born in Cixi, Zhejiang, in 1936, joined the army in July 1951 and held various positions within the General Staff of the Chinese Communist Party, including assistant researcher, deputy chief, chief, deputy researcher, and researcher. He was promoted to the rank of Major General in 1993 and was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 1999.
Wei Zhengyao was involved in research work in the field of military information technology for an extended period and led several major national research projects in China.
On March 24, 2026, the Institute of Microelectronics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced the passing of Wu Dexin, a Chinese Communist Party member, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, microelectronics scientist, former director of the Microelectronics Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and member of the Standing Committee of the Ninth and Tenth National People’s Congress. Wu Dexin passed away at the age of 90 in Beijing on March 23, 2026, due to illness.
Wu Dexin, born in 1936 in Leting, Hebei Province, graduated from the Department of Radio Electronics at Tsinghua University in 1961 as one of the first batch of semiconductor professionals. After graduation, she was assigned to work at the Institute of Semiconductors at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and later transferred to the Microelectronics Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1986, where she held various positions such as assistant researcher, researcher, deputy director, and director. She was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Academician of the Division) in 1991.
The announcement stated that Wu Dexin was one of the pioneers in semiconductor and integrated circuit research in China. During her time at the Semiconductor Institute, she led the research on “Planar High-Speed Switching Transistors” as part of the “12-year Scientific Plan” in the early days of the Chinese Communist Party’s governance. This technology provided the core components for the “109B” computer supporting the “Two Bombs, One Satellite” project.
On March 21, 2026, the China Electronics Technology Group announced the passing of Sun Yu, a Chinese Communist Party member, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, communication technology expert, chief expert and researcher at the 54th Research Institute (China Electronics 54th Research Institute) of the China Electronics Technology Group. Sun Yu passed away at the age of 89 in Beijing on March 20, 2026, due to illness.
Born in April 1936 in Zhaodong County, Heilongjiang Province, Sun Yu was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 1995.
The announcement mentioned that Sun Yu was one of the founding figures in China’s defense communication industry and had been engaged in the research and development of communication equipment and the overall engineering design of communication systems for many years. She participated in the development of the initial remote control system for China’s first atomic bomb test, the first-generation rocket test remote control system, and the overall design of the flight safety control system for the first intercontinental missile.