The list of the chairmen of the National People’s Congress of the Chinese Communist Party was recently announced, drawing attention to the absence of two current members of the military-industrial system. They are former Communist Party Secretary of Hunan Province, Xu Dazhe, and Chief Engineer of China National Nuclear Corporation, Luo Qi. Neither of them appeared at the opening ceremony of the People’s Congress on March 5.
According to reports by the Sing Tao Daily, Xu Dazhe and Luo Qi were members of the National People’s Congress last year, but did not attend the opening ceremony on March 5 this year.
It is reported that the members of the National People’s Congress mainly consist of members of the NPC Standing Committee, national leaders, and senior officials from various regions. This year, the NPC Standing Committee consists of 176 members, compared to 181 members last year.
Among the decreased members of the Standing Committee are Wang Menghui (former secretary of Hubei), Xu Dazhe, Li Yuefeng (former vice chairman of Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League, who has been dismissed), Shu Wei (now serving as Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the China Association for Science and Technology and has resigned from the NPC Standing Committee), Miao Hua (member of the Central Military Commission and Director of the Political Work Department, currently suspended pending investigation), Yi Lianhong (former secretary of Zhejiang), Luo Qi, Jiang Chaoliang (NPC Standing Committee member, undergoing review), Han Jun (transferred from Anhui Party Secretary to Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Jing Junhai (former secretary of Jilin), and Lou Yangsheng (former secretary of Henan).
The 6 new additions are: Wang Zhonglin (new secretary of Hubei), Wang Hao (new secretary of Zhejiang), Yan Jinhai (Director of the Tibet People’s Congress), Li Yifei (new secretary of Ningxia), Wu Xiaojun (new secretary of Qinghai), and Huang Qiang (new secretary of Jilin).
At the end of last year, Xu Dazhe had been absent from two consecutive meetings of the NPC Standing Committee. During the NPC Standing Committee meeting on December 22 last year, the position next to National People’s Congress Standing Committee member and Vice Director of the Legislative Work Committee Xu Anbiao was empty, indicating Xu Dazhe’s absence.
According to reports, when the NPC Standing Committee meeting was held in Beijing in early November last year, Xu Dazhe was also absent.
Luo Qi, 56 years old, originally from Sichuan, is a Chinese nuclear power expert who has held positions as Deputy Dean of the China Nuclear Power Research and Design Institute, Party Secretary of the China Institute of Atomic Energy, and is currently the Chief Engineer of China National Nuclear Corporation.
Xu Dazhe, 68, with a background in the aerospace system, had previously served as General Manager and Chairman of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Director of the National Defense Science and Technology Industry Bureau. He was parachuted into Hunan in 2016 to serve as the Governor and Party Secretary.
Over the past year, a large number of senior officials from the military-industrial complex have been removed from office or gone “missing”, including the Chairman of China National Nuclear Corporation, Yu Jianfeng, who has been out of the public eye for several months.
Additionally, Jin Zhuanglong, Minister of Industry and Information Technology who comes from the aerospace system, did not attend the opening ceremony of the People’s Congress after being relieved of his position as Party Secretary of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.