On the eve of the Chinese Communist Party’s annual two sessions, the authorities suddenly removed Minister Jin Zhuanglong of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (referred to as “MIIT”), who was responsible for developing cutting-edge chip industry and competing with the United States for high-tech supremacy. His position was taken over by Liaoning Governor Li Lecheng. However, Jin Zhuanglong has not been officially announced to have fallen from grace, a situation similar to the “disappearance” of several senior executives in the aerospace and military industry in recent years. Jin Zhuanglong was the overall commander of the Chinese-made aircraft C919 project.
MIIT announced through its official WeChat account on February 28 that Li Lecheng has been appointed as the Party Secretary of MIIT, with Jin Zhuanglong no longer holding the position. On the same day, the MIIT official website updated the information, indicating that Li Lecheng is currently “in charge of the overall work of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology,” while Jin Zhuanglong is no longer the minister of the department. Both Jin Zhuanglong and Li Lecheng are members of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.
The MIIT is responsible for overseeing China’s vast internet infrastructure, including new technology permits, electric vehicles, and the development of 5G and 6G communication networks. This department plays a central role in Xi Jinping’s strategy to develop the semiconductor industry and compete with the United States in the high-tech field.
Jin Zhuanglong’s last public appearance was at the MIIT work conference held in Beijing on December 26-27 last year. On January 6 this year, Jin Zhuanglong was absent from the meeting of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Chinese Communist Party held in Beijing, sparking speculation about his whereabouts.
According to public records, Jin Zhuanglong, born in 1964, comes from the aerospace industry and has a technical background. In June 1999, he entered the management of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Group, serving as a member of the Party group and director of the Shanghai Aerospace Bureau. In 2001, he was promoted to Vice President of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
In June 2004, Jin Zhuanglong began his rise in the ranks, becoming the Secretary General of the National Defense Science and Technology Committee; in July 2005, he became the Deputy Director of the National Defense Science and Technology Committee.
After that, Jin Zhuanglong’s career was closely linked to the development of the Chinese-made large aircraft project. In February 2007, at the age of 43, he was appointed Deputy Head of the Large Aircraft Project Preparatory Group. From 2008 to 2017, Jin Zhuanglong worked at Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), holding various positions including Vice Chairman, General Manager, Deputy Party Secretary, Chairman, and Party Secretary.
Established in 2008, COMAC is headquartered in Shanghai, with its Design and Research Center responsible for the engineering design of the Chinese-made large aircraft C919. Jin Zhuanglong was the overall commander of the C919 large aircraft project.
In 2017, Jin Zhuanglong was transferred to the Office of the Central Military-Civil Fusion Development Commission of the Chinese Communist Party and worked as the Executive Deputy Director for five years, during which his activities were less visible in the media.
As early as 2013, Xi Jinping proposed the concept of “military-civil fusion development,” elevating it to a “national strategy” in March 2016. The Communist Party’s implementation of “military-civil fusion” aims to utilize civilian resources, technology, and capital, or through civilian channels to acquire foreign technology, to achieve its so-called military strengthening goals.
It is noteworthy that although Jin Zhuanglong has been removed from his position, he has not been officially announced to have fallen from grace as is usually the case. For example, when former Minister of the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Tang Renjian was announced to be under investigation, his successor was officially appointed. Jin Zhuanglong’s current whereabouts remain unknown. This situation is similar to the pattern of several senior executives in the aerospace and military industry “disappearing” in recent years.
Political commentator Li Linyi told Epoch Times reporters that Jin Zhuanglong’s removal from office may be due to being investigated and falling from grace. Dissimilar to officials outside the military-industrial system, the handling of senior military officials is more discreet. Xi Jinping, out of “maintaining stability” considerations, avoids high-profile investigations that could attract public attention, preventing doubts about the military and military-industrial system and thereby weakening regime stability.
Since 2023, the Chinese Communist Party has carried out a large-scale purge within the military, involving numerous military generals and senior executives in the military-industrial complex.
On February 24 this year, the former Chairman of the state-owned enterprise China Aviation Industry Corporation, Tan Ruisong, was expelled from the Party.
In April 2024, Chen Ximing, former General Manager of China Electronics Technology Group, was appointed as Chairman of the Chinese aerospace and defense giant China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation. The whereabouts of the former Chairman Yuan Jie after being replaced remains unknown.
In December 2023, three senior executives in the aerospace industry, including Wu Yansheng, Chairman of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, Liu Shiquan, Chairman of China Ordnance Industries Group Corporation, and Wang Changqing, Deputy General Manager of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, were removed from the list of members of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Independent commentator Xiangyang in the United States, in an interview with Epoch Times reporters, said that there are internal divisions within the Xi faction, not a monolithic bloc. This group of people in the aerospace and military industries actually have many similarities with cliques, stemming from similar experiences.
Xiangyang stated that many people in the aerospace industry entered universities through the college entrance exam restorations from 1978 to 1980, belonging to the “exam practitioner” category. Most of them have a background in science and engineering, and have been active in frontline scientific research, including figures like Jin Zhuanglong. Given their knowledge of the technological gap between China and the United States, they often hold a dismissive attitude towards those who received Marxist-Leninist education and find it difficult to truly submit to leadership from those with backgrounds as workers, peasants, and soldiers.