China has expelled a leading rocket scientist from its top political advisory body, the latest sign of a widening purge in the Chinese military’s missile force and aerospace contractors.
The Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) removed Wang Xiaojun at a meeting in Beijing on Monday – just a year after he was appointed a member, state news agency Xinhua reported, without offering an explanation.
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Wang’s dismissal from the elite political body is the latest shakeup in China’s military-industrial complex. In December, three aerospace executives, including the chairman of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation – were stripped of their roles in the CPPCC.
Two days later, nine high-ranking People’s Liberation Army officers were ousted from the country’s top legislature. Five of them are linked to the Rocket Force, an elite branch built up by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to oversee the development of the nation’s nuclear and ballistic missiles.
Out go the experts, in go the yes-men. Xi has always used corruption, both real and made-up (there’s plenty of either), as an excuse to get rid of people who might endanger his grip on power. With totalitarian regimes like his, expertise and experience are a considered a threat instead of being encouraged.
It’s not exactly brain surgery is it?
It’s rocket surgery
