The profiles of two senior executives at China’s leading aircraft manufacturer – including the chief designer of the J-20 stealth fighter – have been taken down from its website without explanation.
Neither Hao Zhaoping, general manager of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, or Yang Wei, a deputy general manager at AVIC and lead engineer on the J-20, have been seen in public for months.
It comes after former AVIC chairman Tan Ruisong was placed under investigation for corruption in August, having been removed from his post in 2023.
Caixin first reported the removal of the two profiles, saying the change was made on Saturday. That story was later taken down.
Yang’s profile on the website of national research institute the Chinese Academy of Sciences – where he is a member of the science and technology division – has also disappeared.
In recent months, both Yang and Hao have been missing from leadership meetings of AVIC – a key player in Beijing’s drive for military modernisation and technological self-reliance.