In recent years, a large number of senior executives from Chinese military-industrial enterprises or high-ranking officials with military backgrounds have been dismissed or gone missing. Following the removal of former Xinjiang Party Secretary Ma Xingrui, another official with a military-industrial background and a member of the Political Bureau, the Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee, Yuan Jiajun, has been speculated to be in a risky position.
In late September, CCP leader Xi Jinping led a delegation to Xinjiang for an event, but Ma Xingrui, who had been removed from his position as Xinjiang Party Secretary in early July, did not accompany him, leading to speculation that his political career might have come to an end.
Independent commentator Du Zheng wrote in Taiwan’s media “Shang Bao” today (29th) that there are various speculations on the reasons for Ma Xingrui’s fall from grace, including being influenced by the corruption case involving the Aerospace Science and Technology Group, where he had previously worked. Considering Ma Xingrui’s significant position as a prominent figure in the Chinese military-industrial circle, his downfall symbolizes the decline of this group and hints at the possibility of more heavyweight figures being implicated.
Since 2023, a number of high-ranking officials from CCP military-industrial enterprises have fallen from grace, involving entities such as the China Aerospace Science and Technology Group, China Ordnance Industry Group, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, China Electronics Technology Group, China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, China Weapon Equipment Group, China Aviation Industry Group, and China National Nuclear Corporation. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Group, where Ma Xingrui once served, has been particularly hard-hit.
Among the past Chairmen and General Managers of the Aerospace Science and Technology Group, besides Ma Xingrui’s removal as Xinjiang Secretary, both former Chairman Lei Fanpei and former General Manager Xu Dazhe have been missing for some time. Former Chairman Wu Yansheng was removed from his position as a member of the CPPCC on December 27, 2023. Former General Manager of the Aerospace Science and Technology Group Yuan Jie was dismissed as Chairman of the Aerospace Science and Industry Group in April 2024. Former Deputy General Manager of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Group, Jin Zhuanglong, was relieved of his duties as Minister of Industry and Information Technology after being missing for a period of time.
Last August, the Secretary of the Mudanjiang City of Heilongjiang Province, Dai Shoulun, who previously served as Party Secretary and Deputy Director of the Eighth Institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group and Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Shanghai Aerospace Industry Corporation, also fell from grace.
Du Zheng stated that insiders have suggested that the Aerospace Science and Technology Group could be investigated back 20 years. If this investigation goes back 20 years, current Political Bureau member and Chongqing Municipal Party Secretary Yuan Jiajun might also be at risk.
Yuan Jiajun, born in 1962 in Tonghua, Jilin, is an expert in Chinese space technology. He entered the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation in 1987 and has since served as Vice President and President of the China Aerospace Industrial Corporation, Vice President, and Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation from November 2007 to May 2011.
Yuan Jiajun has connections with Wu Yansheng, Dai Shoulun, Lei Fanpei, Yuan Jie, Xu Dazhe, and Ma Xingrui within the Aerospace Science and Technology Group, and he was Ma Xingrui’s deputy. He has held various positions locally since 2012, such as Deputy Chairman of the Ningxia Autonomous Region, Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of Zhejiang Province, Deputy Governor, Governor, and Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee. In October 2022, he became a member of the CCP Political Bureau and was appointed as the Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee in December of the same year.
Du Zheng mentioned that Yuan Jiajun has connections with the current Premier Li Keqiang. They had a direct superior-subordinate relationship during their time in Zhejiang from 2013 to 2016. Considering Zhejiang’s significance as a power base for Xi Jinping, Yuan Jiajun is believed to have been influenced by Xi’s political network in Zhejiang.
He believes that the downfall of individuals promoted by Xi Jinping is likely a result of common power struggles within official circles. Additionally, the military-industrial system itself is relatively closed and more prone to corruption and darkness than ordinary enterprises. Officials within the same entity often conspire in corruption, where the rise and fall of one affect others. Therefore, Yuan Jiajun may also be implicated in the aerospace system’s corruption case.
Du Zheng also noted that the city of Chongqing, where Yuan Jiajun currently holds a position, is considered an ominous place. There seems to be a curse in the CCP officialdom that whoever Xi Jinping supports ends up in trouble. For instance, Bo Xilai, whom Xi Jinping supported before taking office, fell from grace, as did the two subsequent party secretaries of Chongqing while Xi was in power, Sun Zhengcai and Chen Min’er. Chen Min’er, once thought to be Xi’s successor, lost the opportunity after being transferred to Tianjin.
Last year, Su Ziyun, Director of the Strategy and Resources Institute at the Taiwan Institute of National Defense and Security Studies, told “Dajiyuan” that Yuan Jiajun should have been valued by Xi Jinping to be sent to Chongqing. However, the fates of the three previous leaders in Chongqing were not favorable. As a member of the military-industrial faction, with a wave of high-ranking military-industrial officials falling from grace due to anti-corruption efforts, current officials with military backgrounds like Zhang Guoqing (current Vice Premier), Ma Xingrui, and Yuan Jiajun could also be affected.