China’s technology minister, Jin Zhuanglong, has been abruptly removed from office, marking yet another high-profile shake-up in President Xi Jinping’s intensifying anti-corruption campaign. Jin, a central figure in China’s push to become a global tech superpower, had been mysteriously absent from public appearances since late December, fueling speculation about his fate.
The government announced his removal on Friday, replacing him with Li Lecheng, the former governor of Liaoning province, but provided no explanation. However, multiple sources familiar with the matter told the Financial Times that Jin is believed to be the target of a corruption probe—an increasingly common fate for top Chinese officials under Xi’s rule.
Jin’s ousting follows a growing list of dismissed cabinet members, including ministers of defense, agriculture, and foreign affairs. The secrecy surrounding these removals has deepened concerns about instability within China’s leadership. In 2023, foreign minister Qin Gang was abruptly replaced, yet the government has never publicly disclosed the reason.
Jin’s fall is particularly significant given his role in shaping China’s technological ambitions. Before becoming minister in 2022, he played a key role in developing the country’s first domestically produced passenger jet, the C919, and led efforts to boost China’s semiconductor and AI industries amid intensifying U.S. sanctions. His last known public appearance was on December 27, when he praised Xi’s vision for industrial modernization.
His unexplained disappearance aligns with a broader pattern: officials targeted in China’s anti-graft campaigns often vanish from public view before their downfall is formally announced. In early January, Jin notably missed a top government meeting where Xi warned that corruption was the “biggest threat” to the Communist Party’s survival. On February 5, he was also absent from a State Council gathering—one of the few ministers missing.
Xi’s anti-corruption drive has already disciplined nearly 900,000 officials in the past year alone, the highest number in a decade. While officially aimed at rooting out corruption, critics argue the campaign is also a tool to purge political rivals and consolidate power. Some experts, including Oxford professor Yeling Tan, warn that the crackdown has instilled fear within China’s bureaucracy, stifling decision-making and innovation.
Jin’s departure raises fresh uncertainties about China’s technological ambitions. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology plays a crucial role in developing AI, telecommunications, and semiconductor industries—sectors China views as key to its rivalry with the U.S. His replacement, Li Lecheng, lacks Jin’s deep ties to the tech industry, prompting speculation about the ministry’s future direction under his leadership.
As China tightens its grip on top officials, the removal of yet another key figure underscores the unpredictability of Xi’s political landscape. Whether Jin’s downfall was due to corruption or a broader political purge remains an open question—but one that Beijing is unlikely to answer anytime soon.
