Three prominent Chinese military technology experts have been removed from the official roster of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), according to updates on the academy’s website, in the latest sign of an ongoing shake-up in China’s defense sector.
Radar scientist Wu Manqing, missile guidance specialist Wei Yiyin, and nuclear weapons engineer Zhao Xiangeng are no longer listed among the CAE’s 989 members. The removals were first noted by commentators on Chinese online platform NetEase on March 14.
All three have longstanding ties to China’s military-industrial system, and their former institutions have faced investigations and leadership changes in recent years.
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Wu, a leading radar expert, was removed from his post as CAE vice president in July 2025 by the State Council, according to Xinhua News Agency. Earlier, financial outlet Caixin reported in October 2024 that Wu and China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) Chairman Chen Zhaoxiong had been taken away by authorities, though the report was later deleted, as noted in an article by overseas Chinese outlet The Epoch Times. Wu spent more than three decades at CETC and played a key role in developing radar systems for the KJ-500 early warning aircraft. CETC itself has faced scrutiny, with deputy general manager He Wenzhong placed under investigation in 2024.
Wei, born in 1962, spent much of his career at China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (SASIC), working on cruise missile design and serving as deputy general manager from 2014 to 2023. SASIC has undergone multiple leadership changes, including the removal of Chairman Yuan Jie in April 2024 and the dismissal of other senior executives.
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Zhao, a nuclear weapons specialist, previously led the China Academy of Engineering Physics and was elected to the CAE in 2011. He also served as a vice president of the academy from 2016 to 2018 and was an alternate member of the Communist Party’s Central Committee.
The removals come amid a broader anti-corruption campaign that has expanded into China’s defense and nuclear sectors. In February, several defense-linked officials were removed from positions in the National People’s Congress, while in January, China National Nuclear Corporation’s former general manager Gu Jun was placed under investigation, according to official announcements.
