Former Chairman of China Tower Tong Jilu has reportedly been out of contact for over a month. His wife, who worked at China Unicom in Beijing, and his son, who worked at China International Capital Corporation, have also been detained. Tong Jilu had held senior positions at China Unicom for over a decade.
According to a report cited by Caixin on the 14th, Tong Jilu, the former Chairman of China Tower, has been missing since the end of May. However, there has been no public disclosure or internal notifications regarding his disappearance.
The report indicated that this incident was brought to light due to the investigation of officials from related financial institutions, leading to news of his disappearance.
It was also mentioned in the report that during Tong Jilu’s disappearance, around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival this year, his wife and son also went missing. Tong Jilu’s wife had previously worked at China Unicom in Beijing, while his son was employed at China International Capital Corporation, overseeing a specific project.
In another report on the same day by Caixin, it was stated that Ding Wei, the former Chairman of Zhongjin Capital and several key business personnel were missing. It was reported that Ding Wei was taken away by disciplinary authorities in early July 2025.
Public records show that Tong Jilu, born in 1958 in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, rose through the ranks in Liaoning. He previously served as the Deputy Director of Liaoning Provincial Post Bureau and joined China Unicom in 2000. In July of the same year, he was appointed as the Chief Accountant of Unicom Group, overseeing financial and risk management departments. In March 2011, Tong Jilu became the Vice President of China Unicom.
In July 2014, China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom jointly invested in the establishment of China Communications Facilities Services Co., Ltd. (later renamed China Tower Co., Ltd). At the age of 56, Tong Jilu represented China Unicom to take charge of China Tower as the General Manager, while Liu Aili, Vice President of China Mobile, concurrently held the position of Chairman of the company. Tong Jilu was appointed as Chairman and General Manager in March 2018. In September 2021, Tong Jilu, then 63 years old, retired.
Looking at his resume, Tong Jilu had held senior positions at China Unicom for over a decade.
China Unicom was formed on January 6, 2009, through the merger of China Netcom and China Unicom, becoming one of China’s major telecommunications groups.
Shanghai Alliance Investment Company, founded by the eldest son of former Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin, Jiang Mianheng, had invested in the establishment of China Netcom. Therefore, many Chinese analysts believe that Jiang Mianheng is the actual controller behind Unicom.
Zhang Chunjiang, the former Chairman of China Netcom and Vice President of China Mobile closely associated with Jiang Mianheng, was investigated in late 2009. Zhao Jidong, former Vice President of China Netcom and Senior Vice President of China Unicom, was under investigation in January 2010.