Wang Xiaojun, who led the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, will be removed as a representative on the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), state broadcaster CCTV said without detailing why Wang was being removed.
The decision came after Wang Huning, the CPPCC chairman and a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, chaired a regular meeting with his deputies. The meeting did not have the power to dismiss Wang outright. The decision is likely to be made final in March, before the conference and national legislature meet.
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China airs 4-part anti-corruption series on prime-time TV amid renewed crackdown on graft
China airs 4-part anti-corruption series on prime-time TV amid renewed crackdown on graft
China has targeted senior officials in and close to the rocket force, which oversees nuclear and missile development.
The scientist is known for his work on China’s space programme, including leading the development of the Long March 7 rockets that are used to resupply the Tiangong space station and to launch satellites.He did not respond to an email on Tuesday asking for comment on his dismissal.
A native of Henan province, Wang graduated from the National University of Defence Technology with a doctorate specialising in rocket engines, according to a 2016 Xinhua report.
His publications over the past five years indicate a research focus on reusable rockets and improving fuel efficiency.
China strips 3 aerospace-defence executives of political titles amid crackdown
He became a CPPCC member in March. His last known appearance was in June, when as president of the state-run rocket academy he led an official through an exhibit about aerospace development.
Wang Xiaojun still held the title of president at an academy meeting on July 26, according to an official statement.
Only days before, he received officials from Hunan province. Wang has since been replaced by an acting president who is the board chairman of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the state-owned firm that runs the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.
Wang was appointed president and deputy party secretary of the academy by February 2020, replacing Hao Zhaoping who became president in 2018.
The academy is also known as the CASC First Academy. Both the academy and CASC are under American sanctions to block investments in PLA-linked firms and a proliferation of missile technologies to China.
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‘No one is safe’: China purges record number of ‘tiger’ officials in 2023
‘No one is safe’: China purges record number of ‘tiger’ officials in 2023
Beijing has launched a wide-ranging purge of officials involved in the missile force and space development. In China, the space programme is closely linked to the military.
The military’s astronaut corps is under the PLA Strategic Support Force, while the China Manned Space Agency is under the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission (CMC), China’s top military command.
Li Shangfu, the former defence minister who was dismissed in October, headed the equipment department before he became the face of China’s military diplomacy.Li Shangfu’s dismissal as defence chief came with no details, but a few clues
The CMC issued a rare notice in July asking the public to report irregularities in how equipment tenders had been assessed since October 2017. The notice did not mention Li, but he had started as head of the department only a month before.
The Communist Party’s anti-corruption agency launched investigations into 45 senior officials last year, the highest number in Xi Jinping’s extensive campaign to clean up the party ranks since becoming president in 2013.ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51ku6bD0miaoaGelnyutcuiq5qqqWSus8DInKOeZ2NngnF%2BlG9mnKCZo65usdepnKVloKe8rrXNnqWtZaKksKyx02aqnKGVo8Gqv9Nmq6ioXZe8pcWMnKarqqWlwaq7zWanq6eSmnqsscSpqmarmZy1tb%2BMnZyfnZ6Ysm6txKumrKiRmLI%3D