In the past two years, with the outbreak of the Rocket Army corruption scandal, senior officials in the Rocket Army were “cleaned out,” former and current members of the Central Military Commission, State Council, Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu were removed, along with other high-ranking officers either missing or under investigation. A number of high-ranking officials in the CCP’s military-industrial complex were also investigated or went missing.
Here, we will provide a brief review and analysis of the situation where high-ranking officials in the CCP’s military-industrial complex were investigated or went missing.
On August 30, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection announced on its official website that Tan Ruisong, former Chairman of China Aviation Industry Corporation, was under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline and law.
Tan Ruisong is the 40th senior CCP official announced for investigation this year.
Born in February 1962 in Jilin City, Jilin Province, Tan is a Ph.D., senior engineer, and joined the CCP in 1985 after starting work in 1983.
He worked for 20 years at the Harbin Dong’an Automobile Engine Company. He later served as Chairman and Party Secretary of Harbin Aviation Industry Group, Vice General Manager, General Manager, and Party Secretary of China Aviation Industry Group, and was appointed Chairman and Party Secretary of China Aviation Industry Group in May 2018 until his retirement and resignation in March 2023.
China Aviation Industry Group is a centrally managed state-owned mega enterprise, comprising various industries such as aviation weapons and equipment, military transport aircraft, helicopters, airborne systems, general aviation, aviation research, flight testing, aerospace supply chain and military trade, specialized equipment, automotive components, asset management, finance, engineering construction, with over 100 affiliated units, 25 listed companies, and more than 400,000 employees—exceeding the total number of employees of Boeing and Airbus combined.
Data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute shows that by 2022, China Aviation Industry Group was the sixth largest defense contractor globally, only second to the North Industries Group in China in terms of annual revenue.
Last September, former mainland media figure Zhao Jianlan leaked that Tan Ruisong, the former Chairman of China Aviation Industry Group, had reportedly been taken away for investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection while overseas. Now, this “rumor” has once again proven to be a leading prediction.
On December 27 last year, Wu Yansheng, Chairman and Party Secretary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group, Liu Shiquan, Chairman and Party Secretary of China Ordnance Industry Group, and Wang Changqing, Vice General Manager and Party Committee Member of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group, were removed from their positions as members of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Wu Yansheng, Liu Shiquan, and Wang Changqing served as members of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC for only over 9 months. Why were they removed? According to CCP official media reports, no reasons were given.
On March 15 this year, Chen Mingbo was appointed Chairman and Party Secretary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group, meaning that Wu Yansheng no longer held the position. However, the CCP did not announce Wu Yansheng’s dismissal or removal from office.
Wu Yansheng’s last public appearance was on August 27 last year when he attended the 14th International Conference on Reliability Maintenance and Safety in Xinjiang. Since then, he has been in a state of “missing” for over a year.
On April 30 this year, Cheng Fubo was appointed Chairman and Party Secretary of China Ordnance Industry Group, indicating that Liu Shiquan no longer held the position. However, the CCP did not announce Liu Shiquan’s dismissal or removal from office.
Liu Shiquan’s last public appearance was on August 23 last year when he attended the 4th Taiyuan Lake Digital Economy Development Summit in Shanxi. Since then, he has been in a state of “missing” for over a year.
Only appointed as Vice General Manager and Party Committee Member of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group on June 19 last year, Wang Changqing’s name is no longer listed on the official website under “Enterprise Leadership.”
Wang Changqing’s last public appearance was on August 31 last year when he attended a special democratic life meeting on the study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought at the Third Institute of China Aerospace Science and Industry. Since then, he has been in a state of “missing” for over a year.
China Aerospace Science and Technology Group is a state-owned mega defense enterprise mainly involved in research, design, production, testing, and launch services for aerospace products such as carrier rockets, satellites, manned spacecraft, cargo spacecraft, deep space probes, space stations, as well as research and development of strategic missiles, tactical missiles, unmanned systems, among others. It is the largest provider of broadcast and communication satellite operation services in China and the largest producer in the CCP’s image information recording industry.
China Ordnance Industry Group is also a state-owned mega defense enterprise, the largest weapons and equipment manufacturer of the CCP, primarily serving the army, navy, air force, Rocket Army, as well as the armed police and public security. Its subsidiary, China North Industries Group, is a major arms dealer for the CCP globally.
China Aerospace Science and Industry Group engages in missile industry, aerospace equipment research, design, manufacturing, launch, and maintenance as a large central enterprise. It mainly involves the research and development of missile weapon systems (including ground-to-ground missiles, anti-aircraft missiles, and cruise missiles), as well as the development of microsatellite technology, solid carrier rockets, and information technology.
On April 12 this year, Chen Ximing was appointed Chairman and Party Secretary of China Aerospace Science and Industry Group, indicating that Yuan Jie no longer held the position as Chairman. However, the CCP media did not announce the dismissal of Yuan Jie.
Yuan Jie’s last public appearance was on September 2-3 last year during a visit to the group’s subordinate units in Chengdu when he entered into a state of “missing.” But Yuan Jie still remains a candidate member of the 20th Central Committee.
This does not mean Yuan Jie is safe. After Li Shangfu went missing, he remained a member of the Central Committee. Later facts proved that his disappearance was actually due to serious violations of discipline and law.
On April 12, Zhang Yujin was appointed as General Manager and Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of China Ordnance Equipment Group. This also means that Chen Guoying no longer held the position as General Manager and Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, and the CCP media did not announce Chen Guoying’s removal from office.
Chen Guoying’s last public appearance was on July 25 last year, and he has been “missing” for over a year.
Yuan Jie, Chen Guoying, and Wang Changqing, who was removed as a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC, all have connections within the China Aerospace Science and Industry Group. Yuan Jie served as Chairman and Party Secretary of China Aerospace Science and Industry Group, while Wang Changqing held leadership roles within the group during the same time. Yuan Jie was appointed as Chairman and Party Secretary in June 2020, and Chen Guoying served as Vice General Manager starting from May 2018, then as Party Committee Deputy Secretary until February 2022. Wang Changqing was both a subordinate of Yuan Jie and Chen Guoying.
On April 3, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection announced that Li Zhaozhi, former Director of the Equipment Support Department of the China National Nuclear Corporation, was under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline and law.
Li Zhaozhi, born in 1964, a CCP member, served in various positions in different organizations over the years.
On April 7, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection announced that He Wenzhong, Deputy General Manager of China Electronics Technology Group, was under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline and law.
He Wenzhong, born in 1970 and only 54 years old this year, was promoted to Deputy General Manager of China Electronics Technology Group in May last year, but was investigated less than a year into his role.
After graduating from the Chengdu Institute of Telecommunication Engineering in 1991, he joined the China Electronics Technology Group’s 11th Research Institute and held various positions in the institute over the years.
China Electronics Technology Group was established in 2002 based on 46 electronic research institutes and 26 enterprises under the former Ministry of Information Industry of the CCP, with 17 listed companies and 200,000 employees. It is a key state-owned enterprise directly managed by the central government, serving as a national strategic technology force for military electronics, network information, and national defense.
The Financial Times reported on April 9 that the investigation of top executives of major CCP defense contractors marks a new sign of turmoil in the CCP’s defense sector.
Apart from the high-ranking officials mentioned above who were either investigated or went missing in the military-industrial complex, other officials investigated within the defense sector include:
Zhong Hongliang, former Party Secretary and Chairman of the Shaanxi Uranium Enrichment Company of the China National Nuclear Corporation; Wu Xiujang, former Party Secretary and Chairman of the China National Nuclear Corporation Environmental Protection Company; Long Fei, who had worked in the CCP’s aerospace system for more than 30 years, later leading the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Group of the CCP’s Southern Grid Company after serving in the Changchun Equipment and Technology Research Institute of the China Ordnance Industry Group; Zhang Jianwu, former Party Secretary of the China North Industries Group Changchun Equipment and Technology Research Institute; Yao Jiangtao, former Chief Economist of the China Aviation Industry Group; Wei Yinghui, former Party Committee Member and Vice General Manager of China Aviation Industry Group Zhonghang Trust Co., Ltd.
After the “Two Sessions” of the CCP last year, news of senior Rocket Army officials facing trouble abroad was widely circulated. The confirmed facts so far show that the Rocket Army indeed has major problems: the first commander Wei Fenghe, the second commander Zhou Yaning, and the third commander Li Yuchao, along with several senior officers under them including deputy commanders, chief of staff, and equipment ministers, all faced issues.
Just as the Rocket Army scandal erupted, the equipment development department of the Military Commission also faced problems, with Li Shangfu, who had already been promoted to member of the Central Military Commission, State Councilor, and Minister of National Defense, as the lead. Subsequently, some senior officers from the Air Force, Navy, Army, and Strategic Support Force also fell from grace.
With the exposure of the Rocket Army scandal, the equipment development department scandal, and corruption issues in the Air Force, Navy, Army, and Strategic Support Force, a group of high-ranking officials in the military-industrial complex went missing or were investigated.
The resumes of the above military-industrial complex high-ranking officials reveal top CCP technocrats. However, even in a political environment where almost every official is involved in corruption, they had to follow the current.
Since coming into power 12 years ago, Xi Jinping’s personnel selection has been limited to areas where he had previously worked, studied, or lived, such as Zhejiang Province, Fujian Province, Shanghai, the Central Party School, Tsinghua University, his hometown in Shaanxi, or the military-industrial complex.
Out of the members of the 20th CCP Political Bureau, three are from the military-industrial complex. They include Ma Xingrui, Party Secretary of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Yuan Jiajun, Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee, and Vice Premier of the State Council Zhang Guoqing. Ma previously served as General Manager of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group, while Yuan held the role of Vice General Manager in the same group.
Additionally, Zhang Qingwei, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Jing Zhuanglong, Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and Tang Dengjie, Secretary of the Shanxi Provincial Party Committee are also linked to the military-industrial complex.
Xi Jinping has always been suspicious, and the recent top officials in the military-industrial complex facing issues have only added to his doubts. In the upcoming power struggles and restructuring within the top ranks of the CCP, the suspicion between Xi and these high-ranking officials from the military-industrial complex has deepened.
In 2019, amid concerns among Hong Kong residents of being extradited to mainland China and “disappeared” into CCP’s “black box operations” without basic human rights protections, the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement was initiated. The CCP, however, violently suppressed the movement.
Now, “disappearances” have become a reality for senior CCP military leaders, high-ranking officials in the CCP’s military-industrial system, including Qi Geng, the “youngest CCP leader,” are facing. It is a true example of black box politics, dark politics, and black politics.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The more people go missing, the more insecure the CCP becomes. Ultimately, the CCP may perish from this “trinity of dark politics.”
Epoch Times Exclusive