On October 3, 2024, Major General Zhang Yuting, former Deputy Commander of the Second Artillery Corps of the Chinese Communist Party, passed away. Zhang Yuting had worked closely with the disgraced former commander of the Rocket Force of the CCP, Wei Feng, and had served together for years in the Second Artillery Corps. Since the explosive revelations of the Rocket Force corruption case in July 2023, at least six senior military leaders from the Rocket Force and its predecessor, the Second Artillery Corps, have passed away, with four of them being major generals.
In an obituary released by Xinhua News Agency on October 16, 2024, it was announced that retired Deputy Military Region Officer and former Deputy Commander of the Second Artillery Corps, Zhang Yuting, had passed away in Beijing on October 3, 2024, at the age of 77, due to illness with ineffective treatment.
Zhang Yuting, a native of Wenshang County in Shandong Province, joined the military in 1968 and became a member of the Chinese Communist Party in 1969. Throughout his career, he held various positions such as soldier, platoon leader, staff officer, deputy battalion commander, section chief, regiment staff officer, deputy director, regiment commander, deputy minister of logistics of the base, and eventually became the commander of the Second Artillery Corps Engineering Technical Brigade. He held positions such as Deputy Commander of the 56th Base of the Second Artillery Corps in 1998, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Second Artillery Corps in 2002, and Deputy Commander of the Second Artillery Corps in 2006.
Zhang Yuting was promoted to the rank of Major General in 2000 and to Lieutenant General in 2007.
Notably, the 77-year-old Zhang Yuting, who passed away, had worked with the disgraced former Rocket Force commanders Wei Feng, Zhou Yaning, and Li Yuchao at the Second Artillery Corps.
In July 2017, the CCP officially announced the expulsion of the former Minister of National Defense, Wei Feng, from the party and the military, revoking his rank as a senior general in the Rocket Force and terminating his qualification as a delegate to the 20th Party Congress due to corruption charges. He was under investigation since September 21, 2023.
Following the military reform of the CCP, the Rocket Force was established, and Wei Feng became the first commander of the Rocket Force in 2015.
According to official CCP reports, on September 26, 2023, a military representatives’ meeting of the Rocket Force dismissed Lu Hong, former equipment director of the Rocket Force, as well as former commanders Li Yuchao and Zhou Yaning from their representative roles.
Zhou Yaning succeeded Wei Feng in August 2017 and became the second commander of the CCP’s Rocket Force. Li Yuchao was promoted in January 2022 to become the third commander of the Rocket Force.
Wei Feng, a native of Chiping, Shandong, and Zhang Yuting, who were both from Shandong, served together in the Second Artillery Corps for an extended period. Wei Feng served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Second Artillery Corps from 2004 to 2006 and as Chief of Staff from 2006 to 2010. Zhang Yuting, on the other hand, served as Deputy Chief of Staff from 2002 to 2006 and was promoted to Deputy Commander of the Second Artillery Corps in 2006. The two worked together for many years in the Second Artillery Corps; during this time, Zhou Yaning and Li Yuchao served at the Second Artillery Base under Zhang Yuting and Wei Feng.
Pengpai News reported on the evening of July 27, 2024, at 6:48 pm that Lieutenant General Wu Guohua, former Deputy Commander of the Rocket Force, passed away in Beijing on July 4, 2024, at the age of 66, due to an incurable illness.
On July 30, 2024, news related to Wu Guohua circulated again on mainland social media, with his former superior, Major General Zhang Xiaoyang, indicating in a post on his friend circle that Wu Guohua had committed suicide by hanging in his bathroom at home. Zhang Xiaoyang, the son of former Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the CCP, Zhang Zhen, had previously served as the Dean of the Foreign Language Institute of the CCP.
Wu Guohua held positions such as Deputy Dean, Dean of the Military Foreign Language Institute of the CCP, and former Director of the Third Department of the General Staff Department from 1995 onwards. In 2010, he was promoted to Deputy Commander of the Second Artillery Corps. In July 2012, Wu Guohua was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General. Following the establishment of the Rocket Force, Wu Guohua served as the Deputy Commander of the Rocket Force before retiring in 2020.
Wei Feng became the commander of the Second Artillery Corps in October 2012. From December 2015 to August 2017, he served as the first commander of the Rocket Force, with Wu Guohua as his deputy throughout his tenure.
According to incomplete records from Dajiyuan reporters, since the Rocket Force corruption case detonated in July 2023, at least four senior military leaders from the former Second Artillery Corps have passed away.
Wang Zuoyi, a communist party member, Major General, retired deputy military region officer, and former Deputy Political Commissar of the Beijing Military Region, passed away in Beijing on September 8, 2024, at the age of 93. Wang Zuoyi had previously served as the Deputy Political Commissar of the Second Artillery Corps from 1992 to 1993.
Wang Shouren, a communist party member, Major General, retired professional technical officer, and former Political Commissar of the Second Artillery Engineering College, passed away in Beijing on May 7, 2024, at the age of 82. Wang Shouren held various positions within the Second Artillery Corps, including deputy director of the Political Work Research Office, director, secretary general, director of the Political Department, and Deputy Political Commissar with the rank of Major General in 1997. In March 1998, he was transferred to Xi’an Second Artillery Engineering College as the Political Commissar in regular service.
Shi Kexin, a communist party member, Major General, former Deputy Political Commissar and Discipline Inspection Secretary of the Second Artillery Corps, passed away in Beijing on February 14, 2024, at the age of 95. Shi Kexin had served in various roles within the Second Artillery Corps, including Assistant Officer of the Artillery Political Department, Deputy Director of the Organization Department of the Artillery Technical Academy, Deputy Director of the Political Department, and ultimately as Deputy Political Commissar from July 1985 to December 1993. He was promoted to the rank of Major General in 1988.
Sun Qinghe, a retired professional technical officer and former research fellow of the Second Research Institute of the Second Artillery Corps, passed away in Beijing on January 22, 2024, at the age of 88.