57-year Sun Bo, General Manager and second-highest-ranking executive at the state-owned military-industry shipbuilding juggernaut China Shipbuilding Industry Corp (CSIC), has been arrested by the National Supervision Commission and the Communist Party’s Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC) and is under investigation for “gross violation of laws and party discipline.” A one-line notice was posted on the joint website of the two commissions last week.  Sun Bo’s last public appearance was on June 11 during an inspection trip to a CSIC logistics subsidiary. 

Sina Military and Hong Kong-based Apple Daily noted that Sun could have divulged some drawings and other information of the Soviet-built Liaoning, as well as its retrofitting work during the 2000s, to US Central Intelligence Agency operatives. The allegation has raised questions on whether the confidentiality undertaking regarding technical details of China’s first domestically built carrier, which is modeled heavily on the Liaoning‘s design including a similar jump-rack deck, could have also been compromised.  Meanwhile, CSIC on Wednesday reported on its WeChat account that its President Hu Wenming had reiterated the “paramount urgency to stay loyal to the party and fend off infiltration as well as graft” at an internal meeting.

(Comment: Sun Bo has a doctorate in vessel and marine structures design from the Dalian University of Technology and spent most of his career heading the Dalian Shipyard when the Liaoning was being rebuilt there.)