China Electronics Technology Group Co., Ltd. (referred to as “China Electronics”), a key enterprise in the Chinese military industry, sentenced former deputy general manager born in the 1970s, He Wenzhong, to death with a two-year reprieve for amassing nearly 300 million yuan (RMB) through military industry corruption.
On July 21, the Intermediate People’s Court of Zhangjiakou City in Hebei Province publicly announced the verdict of the bribery case involving He Wenzhong, former member of the China Electronics Technology Group Co., Ltd. and deputy general manager. He Wenzhong was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for bribery, deprived of political rights for life, and had all personal assets confiscated.
According to the court, from 2006 to 2023, He Wenzhong took advantage of his positions as assistant manager, deputy manager, and manager of the 11th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group, as well as chief engineer and director of the Strategic Planning Department of China Electronics Technology Group Co., Ltd. He provided assistance to related units and individuals in matters such as supplying products and obtaining payments, either alone or in collusion with others, illegally accepting money and property from the mentioned entities and individuals. In various economic transactions, kickbacks were received and retained personally, totaling over 289 million yuan.
Reported by Caixin, after the Supreme People’s Procuratorate announced the indictment of He Wenzhong on January 20, the official did not follow the usual practice of notifying the public about the trial. On July 21, the Zhangjiakou Intermediate Court first disclosed that He Wenzhong was tried on April 11, where he pleaded guilty in court.
Public records show that He Wenzhong, born in 1970, has held positions such as Party Committee Secretary, Executive Director, and General Manager of CTEC Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd., as well as Chief Engineer and Deputy Director of the Science and Technology Committee at China Electronics Technology Group.
On May 11, 2023, He Wenzhong became the Deputy General Manager and member of the Party Committee of China Electronics Technology Group. A report by the Financial Times on April 9 stated that He Wenzhong, as a senior executive of one of the largest suppliers of military equipment in the Communist Party of China, being investigated signified a new turmoil within the Defense Ministry of the CCP.
On April 7, 2024, He Wenzhong was officially dismissed from office, less than a year after taking up the position; on October 11, He Wenzhong was expelled from the Party and transferred to the judicial authorities.
At that time, official reports stated that He Wenzhong resisted organizational review, illegally accepted gifts, engaged in money and sex exchanges, abused power to promote and appoint officials, expanded personal desires, engaged in corrupt transactions by exploiting his position for personal gains in business operations, and illegally accepted large sums of money.
The official website of China Electronics introduces that the company was established in 2002 based on 46 electronic research institutes directly under the former Ministry of Information Industry of the Chinese Communist Party and 26 enterprises. It currently has 17 listed companies and employs 200,000 staff members. China Electronics is described as a “centrally managed key state-owned enterprise” and a “national strategic technology powerhouse” in the CCP’s military electronics, cybersecurity, and national strategic technology fields.
The military electronic products developed by the group include radar, drones, navigation, and electronic warfare systems. It has dozens of subsidiary companies, including Hikvision, which produces surveillance equipment and has also been subject to sanctions from the United States.
Furthermore, according to Caixin, He Wenzhong is the 90th senior CCP official publicly disclosed to have received bribes exceeding one hundred million yuan since the 18th National Congress of the CCP. Among them, there are 11 individuals with bribe amounts exceeding 500 million yuan, including former Chairman of China Huarong Asset Management Lai Xiaomin (bribed with over 1.788 billion yuan, with 104 million yuan yet to be acquired; embezzled over 25.13 million yuan); former President of China CITIC Bank Sun Deshun (bribed with over 979.5 million yuan); former Deputy Director of China National Tobacco Corporation He Zehua (bribed with over 943 million yuan and received 1.47 million yuan in bribes through influence, some of which were unsuccessful); former Deputy Secretary of the Xinjiang Party Committee Li Pengxin (bribed with over 822 million yuan with unsuccessful incidents); former Secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee Sun Zhigang (bribed with over 813 million yuan with unsuccessful incidents); former Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee Zhao Zhengyong (bribed with over 717 million yuan, with over 290 million yuan yet to be acquired, considered attempted crime); former Deputy Minister of Public Security Sun Lijun (bribed with over 646 million yuan; manipulated the stock market upon request of others, helping others avoid losses of over 145 million yuan); former Deputy Governor of Liaoning, former Director of the Public Security Department Wang Dawei (bribed with over 555 million yuan); former Director of the Public Security Department of Liaoning Province Li Wenxi (bribed with over 540 million yuan); former Deputy Governor of Shandong, former Chairman of the Qingdao Political Consultative Conference Ji Binchang (bribed with over 526 million yuan with unsuccessful incidents); former Vice Chairman of China Banking Regulatory Commission Cai Esheng (bribed with over 407 million yuan, received 1.1 billion yuan in bribes through influence, some of which were attempted crimes).