Former head of China’s aircraft carrier programme expelled from Communist Party over corruption claims

Hu Wenming, former chairman of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, is accused of taking bribes and abusing his position

Investigation into Hu began in May after a manager at the corporation, who was suspected of passing information to the US, was jailed

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Hu Wenming, the former party chief and chairman of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, is suspected of abusing his powers. Photo: Handout

Published: 5:00pm, 4 Jan 2021Updated: 11:49pm, 4 Jan 2021

The former head of China’s aircraft carrier programme has been expelled from the Communist Party and placed under formal investigation on suspicion of abusing his powers and taking bribes, according to the top anti-corruption watchdog.

Hu Wenming, who was the party chief and chairman of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) until his retirement in August 2019, was placed under investigation in May.

He is among the latest officials at one of the country’s largest shipping building conglomerates to be targeted by President Xi Jinping’s high-profile anti-corruption campaign, which has snared more than 1.3 million officials from powerful “tigers” to low-ranking “flies” since 2012.

Hu’s expulsion was announced weeks before a key anti-corruption meeting of members of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in Beijing.

On Monday, the commission, the country’s top anti-corruption agency, also announced that three others – Deng Huilin, the former deputy governor and police chief of Chongqing; Wen Guodong, the former deputy governor of Qinghai; and Luo Jiamang, the former chief accountant of COFOC Group, China’s largest food group – were stripped of their party and government posts.

The commission said Hu was accused of “severe violations of party discipline” and had “engaged in superstitious activities”.