The Chinese military continues its crackdown as reports emerge that Zhao Xiaozhe, a member of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China who had not been seen in public for a while, has been removed from the list of members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (referred to as the Engineering Academy).
According to information discovered on the official website of the Engineering Academy on August 18, the list of academicians has been reduced from 978 to 977, with Zhao Xiaozhe’s name disappearing from the list.
Originally, there were three academicians from the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China listed on the Engineering Academy: Li Xiaohong, Zhang Yuzhuo, and Zhao Xiaozhe. Zhao Xiaozhe has now been removed from the list.
An article titled “Academician Returns to Alma Mater: Grasping the Passing Years to Achieve a Wonderful Life” related to Zhao Xiaozhe has been deleted from the official website, although some past award information can still be found by searching his name on the website.
Aged 63, Zhao Xiaozhe is an expert in information system engineering. He studied computer science and engineering at Dalian University of Technology in his early years, obtaining a Ph.D. in systems engineering. He served for a long time at the Dalian Naval Academy and was the former director of the Institute of Operational Software and Simulation at the academy. In December 2011, Zhao Xiaozhe was elected as an academician in the Department of Engineering Management of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He was promoted to Deputy Director of the PLA’s Science and Technology Commission in 2018 and to a full position in 2021.
Throughout his career, Zhao Xiaozhe has been involved in technical research, engineering management, and teaching in the field of military command and control information system engineering. He led the establishment of an independent research and development system for combat software systems, a new command system for surface ships, and the construction of a three-tier auxiliary command decision-making system for maritime operations.
On the afternoon of April 25, 2025, the Politburo of the Communist Party of China conducted the 20th collective study on strengthening the development and supervision of artificial intelligence. Zhao Xiaozhe, as the Director of the PLA’s Science and Technology Commission, did not appear, leading to speculation.
Commentator Zhou Xiaohui wrote in the Epoch Times analyzing that Zhao Xiaozhe was promoted to Deputy Director of the PLA’s Science and Technology Commission in 2018 and to a full position in 2021. His upward mobility likely followed the path of Miao Hua, who was the former director of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission and was later investigated.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering are collectively known as the “Two Academies”, referred to as CAS and CAE respectively. Academicians of the Two Academies hold lifelong honorary titles and are generally not easily removed. However, since 2024, more than 10 academicians with military backgrounds have been removed.
Among the previously removed academicians from the Engineering Academy are missile expert Xiao Longxu from the Rocket Force Research Institute, former Chairman of the China Aviation Engine Group Cao Jianguo, former President of Tianjin University Jin Donghan, Chief Engineer of the China National Nuclear Corporation Luo Qi, General Manager of the China Electronics Technology Group Wu Manqing, Deputy General Manager of the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Wei Yiyin, Director of the China Academy of Engineering Physics Zhao Xianguang, and most recently, former President of Central South University Zhang Yaoxue.
The 20th 5th Plenary Session of the Communist Party of China is set to be held in October, with officials announcing the theme of “comprehensively governing the party with strict discipline”. Hong Kong’s Ming Pao predicted on August 3 that up to 30 people may lose their qualifications as Central Committee members, with half of them being military leaders, excluding those who lose their qualifications as Central Committee alternate members. The Epoch Times estimates that at least 40 individuals could be affected in practice, but not all cases may be made public.
Incomplete statistics from the Epoch Times in early August showed that over the past year, military Central Committee members who have been publicly identified as falling from grace or dismissed include former Central Military Commission Logistics Support Department Minister Zhang Lin, former Central Military Commission Training and Administration Department Minister Wang Peng, former Central Military Commission Political and Legal Affairs Commission Secretary Wang Renhua, and former Political Commissar of the Armed Police Force Zhang Hongbing.
Others who have faced consequences include Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Youxia, Central Military Commission member and Chief of the Joint Staff Department Liu Zhenli, former Political Commissar of the Information Support Force Li Wei, former Commander of the Army Li Qiaoming, former Director of the Central Military Commission Equipment Development Department Xu Xueqiang, former Political Commissar of the Western Theater Command Li Fengbiao, former Political Commissar of the Air Force Guo Puxiao, and more.
Among the military Central Committee alternate members are Lieutenant General Wang Kangping, former Commander of the Logistics Support Force.
Furthermore, “missing” Central Committee military members include former Political Commissar of the Eastern Theater Command Liu Qingsong, former Commander of the Southern Theater Command Wu Yanan, former Political Commissar of the Southern Theater Command Wang Wenquan, former Commander of the Western Theater Command Wang Haijiang, former Commander of the Northern Theater Command Huang Ming, former Political Commissar of the Central Theater Command Xu Deqing, former Navy Commander Hu Zhongming, former Political Commissar of the Rocket Force Xu Xisheng, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Central Military Commission General Xu Qiling, former Commander of the Central Theater Command Wang Qiang, former Air Force Commander Chang Dingqiu, and former Director of the Military Science Academy Yang Xuejun, among others.
Additionally, former Political Commissar of the National Defense University Zhong Shaojun, former Commander of the Tibet Military Region Wang Kai, former Political Commissar of the Xinjiang Military Region Yang Cheng, former Minister of the Defense Mobilization Department of the Military Commission Liu Faqing, and former Director of the Science and Technology Committee of the Central Military Commission Zhao Xiaozhe, among five senior generals, were bypassed for promotion during the Fourth Plenary Session last year and are still “missing”.