Beijing expelled a former senior official with an aerospace background and a military auditor from the top national legislature on Tuesday amid its deepening anti-corruption drive.
The most senior of them is Xu Dazhe, former party secretary of Hunan province. The readout yesterday did not say if he was under a corruption probe but Xu, who left the party secretary role in 2021, has a background in aerospace engineering, a sector heavily hit by Beijing’s anti-corruption drive in the past three years.
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PLA anti-graft chief Zhang Shengmin promoted to vice-chair of Central Military Commission
PLA anti-graft chief Zhang Shengmin promoted to vice-chair of Central Military Commission
Xu, 69, joined China’s Ministry of Aerospace Industry in 1984 and worked within the system for around 32 years.
In 2013, Xu was appointed vice-minister of industry and information technology and director of the China National Space Administration, during which time he led China’s lunar exploration programme. In 2016, he announced the initiation of China’s Mars exploration programme.
Xu was appointed governor of Hunan province in 2016 and became the provincial party secretary in 2020, before stepping down in October 2021.
Xu is among a slew of aerospace engineers promoted to key offices under President Xi Jinping. Current members of the Politburo include two officials with this technocratic background: Ma Xingrui, former party chief of Xinjiang; and Yuan Jiajun, party chief of Chongqing.
In the past three years, China’s anti-graft campaign has rounded up multiple executives from the aerospace sector.
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