The former chairman of China Aviation Industry Corporation (referred to as AVIC) Tan Ruisong has been expelled from the Chinese Communist Party on allegations of “using military industry for personal gain.” This is part of a series of recent high-ranking military officials within the military industrial complex who have been investigated and removed from their positions. Analysts have noted that corruption has significantly impacted the quality of military products produced by the Chinese Communist Party.
According to a report published by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Chinese Communist Party and the National Supervisory Commission on Monday, Tan Ruisong, the former Party Secretary and Chairman of AVIC, is under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law.”
Authorities have accused Tan Ruisong of involvement in “power-for-sex trades,” moral decay, and misappropriation of huge amounts of public funds by using military resources for personal gain.
Publicly available information shows that Tan Ruisong, 63 years old, previously held positions such as General Manager of Harbin Dong’an Automotive Power Co., Ltd., Vice Chairman and General Manager of Harbin Dong’an Engine (Group) Co., Ltd., Chairman and Party Secretary of Harbin Aviation Industry (Group) Co., Ltd. Tan Ruisong also served as Deputy General Manager of the Second Group Corporation of AVIC, Director, Deputy General Manager, and Deputy Party Secretary of AVIC, General Manager, and Deputy Party Secretary of AVIC.
Tan Ruisong became the Chairman of AVIC in May 2018 and was dismissed from his position in March 2023. It wasn’t until August 2024 that authorities publicly announced the investigation into Tan Ruisong.
AVIC is responsible for producing fighter jets for the Chinese military. Apart from Tan Ruisong’s downfall, on January 18 this year, the General Manager of the group, Hao Zhaoping, and the Deputy General Manager, Yang Wei, were abruptly dismissed without warning, with their profiles being deleted on the same day. Yang Wei has been involved in the design and research and development of fighter aircraft for a long time, including contributing to the development of the third-generation Jian-10 aircraft and serving as the chief designer of the Chinese Jian-20 stealth fighter.
Furthermore, Zhou Xinmin, who took over as Chairman of AVIC in March 2024, sparked speculation when he was absent during a high-level group meeting to visit retired officials during the Chinese New Year period.
Over the past two years, many senior executives in Chinese state-owned military enterprises have been removed from their positions, with AVIC being one of the hardest-hit areas.
On February 5, the Chinese Communist Party issued revised regulations on military equipment research and development, emphasizing the need to strengthen quality control.
Political commentator Li Linyi previously told Epoch Times that the Party’s revision of these regulations indicates serious quality issues with military equipment, which may be related to the recent string of high-profile corruption cases among military industry officials. While various regulations related to the quality of weapons and equipment have been introduced over the years, the fundamental quality issues cannot be resolved simply by issuing documents.