Recently, two high-level officials at the China Academy of Engineering Physics, a large nuclear military state-owned enterprise of the Chinese Communist Party, were dismissed, highlighting the long-standing issue of corruption in the development of Chinese nuclear weapons.
On July 9th, the State Council of the Chinese Communist Party announced the removal of Lai Xinchun from his positions as Vice President and Chief Engineer of the China Academy of Engineering Physics, as well as the dismissal of Zhang Ke from his position as Vice President.
Public records show that Lai Xinchun, born in February 1969 in Changting, Fujian, previously served as the director of the Materials Research Institute at the China Academy of Engineering Physics. From January 2016 to July 2025, he held the position of Vice President, and from February 2020 to July 2025, he served as Chief Engineer of the China Academy of Engineering Physics. Currently, he is a member of the Party Committee of the China Academy of Engineering Physics.
There is limited information available about Zhang Ke, but official reports indicate that he was appointed as Vice President of the China Academy of Engineering Physics in tandem with Lai Xinchun in 2016.
In February of this year, the State Council of the Chinese Communist Party appointed Huang Ming and Chen Jun as Vice Presidents of the China Academy of Engineering Physics, and Tang Li as the Director of the Science and Technology Committee.
The China Academy of Engineering Physics, located in Mianyang, Sichuan, is one of the key military state-owned enterprises of the Chinese Communist Party and is the sole unit responsible for the research and production of nuclear weapons in China. Despite efforts to clean up the military industry over the past two years, it has not escaped scrutiny.
On July 5th last year, 62-year-old Director Liu Cangli and 53-year-old Vice Director Mo Zeyao of the China Academy of Engineering Physics were both relieved of their duties for unknown reasons, without any official announcement of their whereabouts. The new director, He Yingbo, previously served as the Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the institution. In line with recent practices in the Chinese Communist Party, such dismissals for unspecified reasons and unknown whereabouts are often interpreted by the public as being involved in some form of trouble.
In December last year and January this year, rumors circulated concerning the dismissal of Zhang Kejian, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Director of the National Defense Science and Technology Industry Bureau, amidst allegations of corruption.
Zhang Kejian had a long-standing tenure at the China Academy of Engineering Physics, serving as the Secretary of the Party Committee from December 2007 to August 2015. Starting from September 2015, he held the position of Deputy Director (at the level of Deputy Minister) of the National Administration of Defense Science, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Director of the National Space Administration, Director of the National Atomic Energy Agency, Director of the National Defense Science and Technology Industry Bureau, and Secretary of the Party Committee until his dismissal in December 2024.
As the head of the National Defense Science and Technology Industry Bureau, Zhang Kejian was responsible for overseeing the defense science and technology industry, including providing guidance and management for the China Academy of Engineering Physics.
In recent years, the continuous expansion of China’s nuclear arsenal has raised global concerns. A report released by a Swedish think tank in June last year indicated that China’s pace of nuclear arsenal expansion outstrips that of other countries.
However, Su Ziyun, Director of the Institute of Defense Strategy and Resources at the Taiwan Institute of National Defense and Security Studies, recently told The Epoch Times that corruption in the military industry could have indirect impacts on the development of Chinese nuclear weapons, such as embezzlement of funds or cutting corners in production processes.