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Dannie Peng

A former senior Chinese defence official has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for accepting over 43 million yuan (US$6.3 million) in bribes, as China’s anti-corruption drive continues it sweep through the military sector.
Zhang Jianhua, former deputy head of China’s State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence, was sentenced on Wednesday by the Dazhou Intermediate People’s Court in Sichuan province, according to state news agency Xinhua.
The court was told that between 2008 and last year, Zhang exploited his various leadership roles at the administration to help third parties with approvals and investment, accepting more than 43.38 million yuan in cash and valuables in return.
Zhang’s roles included head of the administration’s finance and audit department, chief engineer and deputy director.
Zhang netted 11.7 million yuan of the illicit earnings following his retirement in 2021, when he continued to use his influence to help others to secure improper gains in business operations and project contracting, state media reported.
The court ruled that Zhang was guilty of directly accepting bribes and taking bribes through the exercise of influence, both of which involved “particularly large sums”.
He was granted some leniency in sentencing in light of his voluntary surrender and confession, according to the report.
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined 3.8 million yuan. His illicit gains and associated earnings were confiscated and handed over to the state treasury.


The ruling comes more than a year after Zhang was placed under investigation on suspicion of corruption.
In May last year, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, China’s top anti-graft watchdog, announced that Zhang was under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law” – a standard euphemism for corruption. It noted that he had “turned himself in”.
Born in 1961 in Yixing, Jiangsu province, Zhang graduated from Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics in Henan province and spent his entire career in the defence industry.
In 1990, Zhang joined what is now China North Industries Group Corporation, a state-owned defence giant responsible for the research, development and production of heavy equipment such as tanks, armoured vehicles, artillery and missiles.
In 1998, he moved to the administration, the government agency responsible for managing the sector and overseeing research and production in fields including nuclear technology, aerospace, aviation and shipbuilding.
The 65-year-old rose through a series of key roles, including a stint as director of the agency’s centre for military-civil project review between 2005 and 2009, when he was responsible for reviewing defence projects and linking research to production.
He was appointed deputy director of the administration in 2013 and assumed the concurrent post of deputy director of the China Atomic Energy Authority in 2018.
In October 2021, he stepped down from both positions, with his final role being deputy director of the Science and Technology Committee for the Defence Science and Technology Industry, a think tank affiliated with the administration.




Zhang’s last public appearance was on May 7 last year, when he delivered a speech at a military-civilian technology transfer competition.
Anti-corruption efforts across China’s defence industry have gathered momentum in recent years, with executives at almost every major state defence firm coming under investigation.
Zhang’s superiors have also been removed from their posts.
In December 2024, administration director Zhang Kejian was removed from office alongside his leadership roles at the China National Space Administration and the China Atomic Energy Authority.
In May this year, two former defence ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, received suspended death sentences after being found guilty of corruption – the heaviest penalties handed down to senior military officers since President Xi Jinping launched his anti-graft campaign in 2012.


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Zhang Jianhua used his influence in and out of office to help third parties with approvals and investment


Zhang Jianhua used his influence in and out of office to help third parties with approvals and investment.


Li Shangfu

Wei Fenghe

China jails retired defence tech overseer for 10 years in US$6.3m corruption case

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Zhang Jianhua used his influence in and out of office to help third parties with approvals and investment

Zhang Jianhua used his influence in and out of office to help third parties with approvals and investment