The situation within the Chinese Communist Party’s military is becoming perplexing. On the one hand, General Zhang Youxia, the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, has been displaying strong authority, frequently appearing in public, leading to speculation that Xi Jinping may be losing his control over the military. On the other hand, the rocket force and military industrial system personally built by Xi Jinping are experiencing a complete collapse, with unknown forces at play. Recently, two members of the military industrial faction were absent from a high-level meeting, suspected to have been detained. More signs indicate that a scandal involving the Aerospace Science and Technology Group is unfolding, putting two influential figures from the military industrial system who were under Xi’s patronage at risk.
On October 29th, during a provincial and ministerial-level official meeting, Xi Jinping adopted a more conciliatory tone in his speech, emphasizing the need to “strengthen political accountability” and “enhance the consistency of reform orientation,” indirectly confirming disunity and differing opinions among senior CCP officials.
Rumors online suggest that at the October 29th meeting, which required the participation of party, government, and military leaders at the provincial and ministerial level, both Deputy Director (Ministerial level) Lei Fanpei of the Central Military-Civil Fusion Development Committee Office and Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Director of the National Defense Science and Technology Industry Bureau, Zhang Kejian, were absent.
Upon reviewing the footage from CCTV’s news broadcast, it can be confirmed that both Lei Fanpei and Zhang Kejian were absent from the meeting.
On October 28th, mainland media figure Li Weiao had revealed on Weibo that “a deputy minister and a bureau chief from a certain department have been taken away for two weeks.”
Comments from netizens below the post indicate insider knowledge: “Zhang Ke…,” “National Defense military industrial system?,” “Science and Technology Bureau?,” “Kunshan Zhang?”
Public records show that Zhang Kejian, born in Kunshan, Jiangsu in July 1961, previously served as the Party Committee Secretary of the China Academy of Engineering Physics (Nuclear Weapons Research Base) and has been in charge of the National Defense Science and Technology Industry Bureau for six years, while also holding positions as the Director of the National Space Administration and Director of the National Atomic Energy Agency.
61-year-old Lei Fanpei, with a background in aerospace, previously served as the Chairman of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and the China Shipbuilding Corporation, and has been a member of the Central Committee for twenty years.
The incident involving the removal of Heilongjiang Province’s Mudanjiang Municipal Party Secretary Dai Shu and his military background demonstrates that corruption within the military industry is being thoroughly investigated, even reaching the local political arena.
52-year-old Dai Shu, a native of Qingdao, Shandong, had worked at the China Academy of Space Technology since July 1994 and had been involved in the Chinese aerospace system for 25 years.
The China Academy of Space Technology, also known as the Fifth Research Institute of the Ministry of Aerospace Industry, has been under China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation since July 1999.
In August 2000, Dai Shu held various positions within the China Academy of Space Technology, eventually becoming the Director of the Mini-Satellite Engineering Office, the Deputy General Manager, General Manager of Dong Fang Hong Satellite Company, Assistant Director of the Fifth Institute of Aerospace, and Senior Vice President of Dong Fang Hong Satellite Company. In April 2009, Dai Shu became the Vice President of the Fifth Institute of Aerospace. In September 2011, Dai Shu transferred to Shanghai and served as the Secretary of the Party Committee and Vice President of the Eighth Institute of Aerospace of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Aerospace Industry Group. In July 2014, he became the Director of the Eighth Institute of Aerospace, concurrently serving as the Chairman of the Shanghai Aerospace Industry Group. During his time in Shanghai, his achievements in satellite launching earned him the title of “Young Aerospace Commander” by official media.
In 2019, Dai Shu was transferred to Harbin as the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, later becoming the Party Secretary of Mudanjiang in March 2023, until his downfall.
According to mainland media reports, Dai Shu’s fall from grace may be related to a decade-long investigation into corruption within the Chinese aerospace system. When reporting Dai Shu’s downfall, Cai Xin Net specifically mentioned the removal of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Chairman Wu Yansheng from his position as a National Committee member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference on December 27, 2023.
Wu Yansheng began working at China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation in January 2002, serving as the Deputy General Manager and General Manager, before becoming the Chairman in May 2018. There were multiple years of collaboration between Wu Yansheng and Dai Shu.
Looking into the current resumes of senior CCP officials, at least three individuals have had connections with China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, Wu Yansheng, and Dai Shu. These individuals were either colleagues or direct superiors.
One of them is the current Central Committee member and Deputy Director of the Military-Civil Fusion Office, Lei Fanpei. He joined the predecessor of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the Ministry of Aerospace Industry, in 1987. In April 2002, Lei Fanpei became the Director and Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Sixth Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. In April 2013, he was appointed a Director and General Manager of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, and in May 2014, he became the Chairman of the corporation, before later serving as the Chairman of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation until his resignation in August 2022.
Another individual is the current Political Bureau member and Xinjiang Party Secretary Ma Xingrui, who worked as the Deputy Director of the Fifth Institute of Aerospace and Deputy General Manager of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation from 1996 to 2007, later serving as the General Manager of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation until 2013. From 2013 onwards, he held positions such as the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Director of the National Space Administration, and the Director of the CCP National Defense Science and Technology Industry.
Furthermore, the current Political Bureau member and Chongqing Party Secretary Yuan Jiajun, who entered the Fifth Institute of Aerospace in 1987, held positions such as Deputy Director, Director, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Vice General Manager of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. From 2012 onwards, he continued his career in Ningxia, Zhejiang, and Chongqing.
From the downfall of Wu Yansheng, to Dai Shu, and the potential downfall of Lei Fanpei, it raises questions about the individuals originating from the same military industry unit, such as Ma Xingrui and Yuan Jiajun, who have worked closely with the aforementioned individuals.
Researcher Wu Guoguang of the Asia Society, an American think tank, previously labeled five high-ranking military officials promoted by Xi Jinping in the 20th Congress as the “Military Five.” These individuals include Liu Guozhong who was promoted from the Shaanxi Provincial Party Secretary to the Deputy Premier, Zhang Guoqing promoted from the Liaoning Provincial Party Secretary to the Deputy Premier, Yuan Jiajun transferred from the Zhejiang Provincial Party Secretary to the Deputy Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee, Ma Xingrui, the Xinjiang Autonomous Region Party Secretary, and Li Ganjie, who was transferred from the Shandong Provincial Party Secretary to the Minister of the Central Organization Department.
Among them, Ma Xingrui and Yuan Jiajun had worked at China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation; Zhang Guoqing had previously served as the General Manager of China North Industries Group Corporation; Liu Guozhong, after graduating from the East China Engineering Institute’s Department of Artillery, had worked at China’s first aviation bomb manufacturing factory; Li Ganjie, a graduate from Tsinghua University’s Nuclear Energy Technology Research Institute, had worked at the CCP National Nuclear Safety Administration.
Xi Jinping’s appointment of military industrial figures is believed to be linked to his ambition to compete with the United States. However, just like the corruption scandals that erupted within the rocket force under Xi’s military reform, or scandals of disloyalty, his reliance on these military industrial figures is now facing similar challenges.
On October 28th, the CCP Political Bureau reviewed the Central Committee’s third round of inspection reports, with Xi once again emphasizing the need to maintain a high-pressure stance against corruption. In reality, following the 20th Congress of the CC, the authorities claimed to have achieved an “overwhelming victory” in the fight against corruption. However, a number of individuals promoted and trusted by Xi have since fallen from grace, weakening Xi’s anti-corruption narrative.
Xi Jinping’s actions against his “own people” may be a forced move, prompted by the fact that the fallen “tigers” are likely to retaliate to save themselves. Dai Shu might have been disclosed by Wu Yansheng, with Lei Fanpei potentially becoming another “victim.” Additionally, recent reports indicate that General Zhang Youxia, the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, has garnered support from veteran CCP members, potentially sidelining Xi’s authority. If this is the case, Xi’s loyalists may continue to lose power or be targeted, suggesting that non-Xi forces may be at play.
Although Xi has refrained from wielding the knife within the Political Bureau to maintain stability in his regime and uphold his image, the arrow of military anti-corruption has been shot and cannot be retracted. His selective anti-corruption measures have triggered resistance within the military, with retired military officials eager to expose and report to Zhang Youxia. If a Central Committee member like Lei Fanpei encounters trouble, can Political Bureau members like Ma Xingrui and Yuan Jiajun remain uninvolved?
Certainly, if the authorities only investigate China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation for a decade, as Yuan Jiajun and Ma Xingrui left the corporation in 2012 and 2013, they may escape scrutiny. However, this superficial anti-corruption measure may only temporarily maintain regime stability, leading to an imminent crisis.
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