News Analysis
In recent months, an extraordinary wave of purges has swept through China’s military-industrial complex, extending far beyond defense companies into elite academic institutions and the upper ranks of government.
What began with a dramatic takedown of the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force leadership has since expanded into a broader campaign—one that has removed senior executives from state-owned defense firms, sidelined high-ranking officials with military-industry ties, and stripped prestigious honors from leading scientists.
The scale and depth of the clampdown are unprecedented in modern China, suggesting a crisis that goes well beyond routine anti-corruption efforts.
At the center of the academic fallout are China’s two most prestigious scientific bodies—the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE)—whose members hold lifetime appointments considered the country’s highest scholarly honor….