How did top brains behind China’s advanced weapons become targets of its anti-graft push?

Some 10 years ago, rocket scientists and weapon engineers in China’s defence industry management were among President Xi Jinping’s most favoured talent pools, as he sought brainpower untainted by local factional corruption to support his ambitious technology drive.

Of the 24 men on the Politburo, the Communist Party’s decision-making body, three spent decades in the aerospace and defence industries and now oversee key regional economies or sectors on a national level.

As Beijing intensifies its anti-corruption campaign, the defence sector – crucial for producing China’s most advanced weapons and supporting its ambitious military modernisation goals – has seen an unprecedented surge in investigations against senior managers over the past two years.

The companies implicated include those behind the development of cutting-edge weapon systems for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), such as fighter jet manufacturers, missile producers and warship makers, raising concerns over the industry’s future development and the military’s combat capabilities.

Late last month, industry and information technology minister Jin Zhuanglong was removed from his role as party chief of the ministry and scrubbed from a list of top leaders on the ministry website after months of disappearance from the public eye. However, there was no official announcement confirming an investigation, nor was it confirmed whether he had been formally replaced as minister.

Some analysts said the timing of Beijing’s apparent acceleration of the anti-corruption drive in the sector suggested it could be related to the downfall of Li Shangfu, who was sacked as defence minister in October 2023 and later accused of “severely polluting the military equipment sector”.

The scandals might prompt mistrust and affect the political future of those from the defence sector, but several scholars said the anti-graft drive in the industry could bring benefits in the long run.

Since Li’s downfall, at least 26 top and former managers with state-owned arms suppliers have been placed under investigation or removed from their positions, according to public records.

  

​Read More