Recently, in Jiangxi Province, which is the hometown and stronghold of interest of former member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Zeng Qinghong and former Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of the CPC Guo Shengkun, attention has been drawn to the intricate network of relationships within the non-ferrous metal system and its interconnectedness with the military-industrial system.
According to the website of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on April 23, 2020, Zou Fensheng, former Party Committee Secretary and Chairman of Jiangxi Tungsten Holdings Group Co., Ltd., who had retired in April 2020, is currently under disciplinary review and investigation by the disciplinary inspection and supervision commission of Jiangxi Province for “serious violations of discipline and law.”
Zou Fensheng, born in Fengcheng, Jiangxi in April 1962, has held various positions including Vice Mine Manager of Tieshanlong Tungsten Mine of China Nonferrous Metal Industry, Mine Manager of Piaotang Tungsten Mine, Deputy General Manager of China Rare Earth Metal Tungsten Group Corporation, Party Group Member and Deputy General Manager (Deputy Bureau Level) of Jiangxi Rare Earth Metal Tungsten Group Corporation, General Manager and Deputy Party Secretary of Jiangxi Tungsten Group Co., Ltd., and Party Secretary and Chairman of Jiangxi Tungsten Holdings Group Co., Ltd.
In addition to Zou Fensheng, former General Manager and Party Committee Member of Jiangxi Rare Metal Tungsten Holdings Group Co., Ltd., Zhong Xiaoyun, is also a former subordinate of Guo Shengkun.
Prior to Zou Fensheng, Zhong Xiaoyun had been reported for corruption issues in July 2020, and subsequently expelled from the Party in November of the same year for leading corrupt practices that brought the enterprise to the brink of bankruptcy.
Guo Shengkun, former Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission and current Director of the Office of the Central Committee for Rule of Law, who hails from Jiangxi, had a long history of senior positions within the China Nonferrous Metal Industry Corporation.
The restructuring of Jiangxi Tungsten Holdings Group Co., Ltd. saw Zou Fensheng and Zhong Xiaoyun appointed as key leaders of the company. Zou Fensheng became the Party Committee Secretary and Chairman, while Zhong Xiaoyun took on the role of General Manager.
It is worth noting that prior to the appointment of Zhong Xiaoyun, another official of the group had fallen from grace. In May 2016, Cui Yuanfa, Vice General Manager and Party Committee Member of Jiangxi Rare Metal Tungsten Holdings Group Co., Ltd., was investigated and subsequently sentenced to four years in prison for bribery.
Tungsten, with the highest melting point among all metal elements and high density (19.3 g/cm3), is a crucial material in defense and high-tech applications due to its high hardness, good conductivity, and thermal properties. It is widely used in aerospace, nuclear energy, and shipbuilding industries, making it a strategic resource in national defense.
On July 26, 2023, Jiangxi Tungsten Holdings signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Hongdu Aviation. Qu Xiaohua, Associate Director of Jiangxi Provincial Defense Science and Technology Industry Office, Zou Fensheng, Party Committee Secretary and Chairman of Jiangxi Tungsten Holdings Group, and Song Chengzhi, Party Committee Secretary and Chairman of Hongdu Aviation Group, delivered speeches at the ceremony.
Established in 1951, Jiangxi Hongdu Aviation Industry Group is a large-scale enterprise under the China Aviation Industry Corporation and a military-industrial company. In December 2005, the United States accused the company of providing weapons and technology to Iran and imposed economic sanctions on them.
According to political commentator Li Yanming, Zhong Xiaoyun and Zou Fensheng both served under Guo Shengkun during their tenure in the China Nonferrous Metal Industry Corporation and its subsidiary Nanjing Company. Guo Shengkun, as a key figure in Jiangxi, has close ties with Zeng Qinghong, as their families are related through marriage.
Li Yanming highlighted the significance of the involvement of Jiangxi Tungsten Holdings in military-industrial collaborations, especially in groups like the Jiangxi Hongdu Aviation Industry Group. The successive downfall of Zhong Xiaoyun and Zou Fensheng indicates a growing cleansing movement within the military-industrial system, which may have repercussions for Guo Shengkun and even Zeng Qinghong.