A former deputy chief of China’s defence industry regulator was sentenced to 10 years in prison last Wednesday following the local government’s anti-corruption crusade in its military sector.
According to a report from the state-run Xinhua, Zhang Jianhua – who ran the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) from 2008 to 2025 – was found guilty by Dazhou Intermediate People’s Court in Sichuan province of collecting bribes during and after his tenure in office.
A major corruption case
The report said that Zhang supposedly accepted bribes worth CNY43 million (USD6.3 million) in the form of cash and valuables to influence deals involving approvals and investment.
Aside from serving as SASTIND’s deputy head, Zhang also served as the regulator’s finance and audit department lead and chief engineer, providing him with substantial influence in the administration’s activities.
The court found that even after Zhang’s retirement in 2021, he continued to exercise his influence to help third parties gain an advantage in project and business deals with the government, from which he collected CNY11 million in bribes.
The report also said that Zhang was given leniency following his voluntary surrender to authorities.
China’s anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, announced in May last year that Zhang was under investigation for alleged corrupt activities, urging the former official to surrender.
Bureaucratic shake-up
Zhang is among the latest former officials in China’s military sector to meet their downfall after they were linked to breaking the country’s anti-corruption policies.
Last May, former defence ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu were imposed with a suspended death sentence, the severest possible punishment, due to their involvement in corruption.
In December 2024, the Chinese government axed administration director Zhang Kejian in his role, as well as his leadership positions at the China National Space Administration and the China Atomic Energy Authority.
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Newsjustnews writers 
Wendellyn Mateo 
Maybelene Marcelino