Anadolu Staff
05 August 2026•Update: 05 August 2026
A Chinese court on Wednesday sentenced a former senior official of the country's defense industry regulator to 10 years in prison for bribery as part of a wider anti-graft campaign in China's defense sector and military, state media reported.
Zhang Jianhua, former deputy head of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, was convicted by a court in Sichuan province, the China Daily newspaper reported.
The court found that from 2008 to 2025, Zhang illegally accepted more than 55 million yuan ($8.15 million) during his tenure as well as after his retirement.
The court also found that from 2021 to 2025, after his retirement, Zhang exploited the influence of his former positions to help others obtain improper benefits in business operations and project contracting, accepting more than 11.7 million yuan in bribes.
Zhang's conviction comes amid President Xi Jinping's years-long anti-corruption campaign, which has seen many top generals and senior officials investigated and removed.
Overall, roughly 52% of senior People's Liberation Army positions have seen officials investigated or purged in recent years, reflecting an unprecedented shake-up under Xi.
In June, China removed six People's Liberation Army officers, former financial regulator head Li Yunze and Politburo member Ma Xingrui from their positions in the national legislature.
In February, nine senior military officials were removed from the National People's Congress.
